


Now or Never

by we_had_a_bonding_moment



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alpha Sawamura Daichi, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Bottom Sugawara Koushi, DaiSuga is the main pair, Dorks in Love, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Maybe - Freeform, Medium Burn, Mild Drama, Minor Character Death, More tags to be added, Mpreg, Omega Sugawara Koushi, Omega Verse, Political Alliances, Romance, Slow Burn, Top Sawamura Daichi, Violence, War, but not really, but they're probably what you expect, can't be bothered to tag everyone's dynamic, daisuga - Freeform, it will say in the story, like i haven't finished yet so characters/plot points are not set in stone yet, other pairings are background, that's very very minor but i added the tag just in case, they are dorks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-18
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-05-08 15:30:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 65,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14697075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/we_had_a_bonding_moment/pseuds/we_had_a_bonding_moment
Summary: Suga never thought he’d return to Karasuno.It’s been many years since he’d left the kingdom, but now he’s back. For how long, he didn’t know. All he knew was that he was meant to enjoy the festivities. It was the crown prince’s birthday, after all.However, Suga may or may not have found himself a little lost, until an unlikely alpha finds him and guides him back to safety.Now, why could he not stop thinking about him?-Prince Daichi was never fond of his father’s plans, but a festival on his birthday to try and find him a mate was taking it too far.That’s what he thought, anyway. Until he stumbles upon the most beautiful person he’d ever seen.Daichi wanted a mate he loved, a mate who loved him.This may be his chance.It’s now or never-Or: Daichi’s a prince who is pressured to find a mate, lest the king set him up in an arranged marriage. Suga’s a friend of a friend with a painful past. Follow these two dorks as they grow closer. There will be obstacles, some harder to overcome than others.Not to mention, there’s a storm brewing. One that can only end in bloodshed.(Please don't copy/repost without permission).





	1. Little Did He Know

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my newest fic!  
> I'm actually really excited for this one, and have been super motivated writing it! It's not nearly complete yet, but I've got the first few chapters done, and soon exams will be over so I'll have more time to write. I wanted to get the first chapter up, though, to see how interested people are in it (I'll still write it regardless XD)
> 
> I've been thinking of making this a sort-of song fic, whereby the titles link to song lyrics? Idk I like reading those types, but maybe it won't be for EVERY chapter, just some? (It was unintentional, but if you want a song for the main title, it'd be 'It's my life' by Bon Jovi - a guilty pleasure of mine) OR Now or Never by Halsey (I've edited this in because I hadn't heard the song until after I started posting this)
> 
> Please let me know what you think, and although I have a pretty clear idea of how this will end, I am always open to suggestions!
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters unless stated otherwise

“Come on, Daichi. At least pretend to be a little excited,” Daichi’s closest friend, Kuroo Tetsurou, whined in response to Daichi’s millionth complaint about the event.

Sawamura Daichi, the alpha prince of the kingdom of Karasuno, was approaching his twenty first birthday, and his father had decided enough was enough: Daichi needed a mate.

When the topic first arose over dinner one evening, Daichi argued that he was fine how he was and far too busy with his duties and military training to worry about a mate. That was nearly three years ago, now.

On the one hand, Daichi had managed to convince his parents not to set up an arranged marriage for him; if he was going to mate with someone, he wanted it to be someone of his own choosing. Of course, he knew the strong benefits of mating with someone of noble blood, and the alliances that could be made by mating with royalty from another kingdom, but no man or woman he had met thus far had taken his fancy. So, considering the pool of people his parents would have chosen from, Daichi knew it wouldn’t work out if they picked his mate for him. Thankfully, his parents were much more contemporary and understanding than the previous generations of royalty.

However, almost three years later, and Daichi was still as single as he was at birth. In fairness, he wasn’t being untruthful when he said he was too busy to worry about finding a mate; he’d spent the majority of his time learning to fight, learning the history of the kingdom alongside the history of the neighbouring kingdoms, learning of the economic state of the country, and everything else an heir to the throne would need to know, which was particularly vital as he was the king’s only child and therefore heir.

Duties aside, the king was starting to lose his patience. As accepting as they were, there were some traditions they still thought should be stuck by, and one of them was that their son should be mated, or at least courting, before he ascended to the throne. Of course, King Sawamura Daiki had no intention of stepping down just yet, but he wasn’t as young as he used to be, and would feel much more at peace when his son had found a suitable mate. That is why, on the prince’s twenty first birthday, there was to be a festival in the castle’s grounds and surrounding streets. Not only would it be a large celebration for Daichi’s birthday, but it would also allow potential suitors to present themselves to the prince and argue their case as to why they would be a good mate.

King Daiki thought the idea to be marvellous. Daichi found the idea to be abhorrent. Not only would his whole day be spent doing nothing of use, but he would also undoubtedly have to sit through hundreds of proposals that would do nothing to make the alpha find whoever it was appealing.

Daichi wanted a family. He did, in the future – he’d want nothing more than to have a loving mate and a child or two at his side. He just didn’t want to be pressured into starting one. Not at the whims of his parents and their advisors.

Yet, here he was, grumbling to his best friend as they practice archery in the training grounds during their free time, less than 24 hours before the festival that Daichi was powerless to stop.

“Excited isn’t really the right word,” Daichi huffed, drawing another arrow from the quiver strapped to his back. “It feels more like a chore than a gift. You know the birthday celebration is just a façade that my father is using to try and get me to find a mate.”

Kuroo sighed despite having just hit the bullseye on the furthest target. “I get it, bro. I do. But it’s just one day. You agreed to attend, not to pick your mate,” he pointed out, readying himself for another shot. “You just need to endure it, see who comes, and hey, you never know. Maybe your perfect mate will be there and you’ll live happily ever after.” He ended with a more teasing lilt to his voice, making Daichi scoff.

“Unlikely, but I appreciate the thought,” he replied, and they continued to cathartically fire all the arrows their quivers could carry before allowing the young squire they’d brought to collect the arrows back in. Daichi always let the boy come and watch him practice when he was free from his duties so he would one day have the upper hand if he were to train with the military, as he had expressed many times in the past.

All too soon, his final day of being twenty years old came to an end, and more than anything, Daichi was just eager to get the next day over and done with.

 

\- ∞ -

 

It was the day of the prince’s birthday, and people from the kingdom and beyond began to arrive in the castle grounds to celebrate with entertainment and festivities. Despite the winter season, the sun was high, emitting warm light wherever it could reach. Merchants and vendors were permitted to set up stalls in the surrounding streets, some of the highest quality being allowed to set up within the grounds. Food and drink were plentiful, as were games for the kingdom’s children, and there were all sorts of entertainment going on. Of course, the royal family and their closest friends remained seated in a more restricted area of the grounds, heavily guarded to ensure their safety. Kuroo and his friend Bokuto, another young, large, muscular guard with two-toned silver and black hair were assigned specifically to guard Daichi, while the king and queen were guarded by their most trusted and experienced guards. They sat a little apart from Daichi, probably so that they could observe his interactions later from the side without intruding too much.

Before King Daiki subjected Daichi to the queue of ‘potential suitors’ that was undoubtedly already forming, he at least allowed Daichi to enjoy some of the festival. They watched a performance by a talented contemporary dance crew that Daichi could appreciate was more his own taste than his parents’, and there was a comedy act that actually did make Daichi laugh quite a bit.

Then, all too soon for his liking, the greetings began. At least not all were there to get into his pants. It began with simple wishes for a happy birthday, particularly from some of the noblemen and women from the neighbouring kingdoms.

“Prince Daichi, how good to see you,” a familiar airy sing-song voice declared when Daichi had turned away to take a sip of his wine.

Daichi turned back to see the regal prince of Aobajousai stood before him. “Oikawa, long time no see,” Daichi replied with a respectful nod. “You should know that you of all people can drop the ’prince’ and just call me Daichi,” he added, knowing that despite what some may think, he and Oikawa were equals, regardless of the fact that Oikawa was an omega.

Oikawa shot Daichi one of his trademark dazzling smiled and nodded. “Ah, of course, Daichi. I wasn’t sure seeing as there are so many people around – I didn’t want them to think I was disrespecting you,” he explained, visibly relaxing to his usual demeanour.

Daichi chuckled lightly at Oikawa’s remark and shifted in his seat. “Yes, well, you always were one for pristine outward appearances,” Daichi commented, shifting his eyes around Oikawa. “Don’t tell me you travelled all this way with just one guard,” he asked, concerned for the other prince’s safety when he considered the days it takes to journey from Aobajousai to Karasuno.

This time, it was Oikawa’s turn to laugh. “Oh, heavens no! There are three guards, my closest friend and personal assistant, who seems to have wandered off somewhere, and this-” he said, indicating towards the slightly shorter but much broader man beside him, whose expression seemed to be in a permanent scowl, “is my court mate, Iwaizumi Hajime.”

The man in question bent over in a shallow bow to Daichi, as was customary, but remained quiet.

“Ah, of course. Of the noble household of Iwaizumi, I presume,” Daichi acknowledged, remembering the name from his extensive studies of the neighbouring kingdoms. Iwaizumi Hajime was the oldest of the three alpha children in the highest standing noble house of Aobajousai.

“Yes, your highness,” Iwaizumi replied politely, and Kuroo wasn’t able to hold back the snort that escaped while he tried so desperately not to laugh.

Daichi smirked at his friend’s reaction, but quickly addressed Iwaizumi again. “Just Daichi, Iwaizumi-san,” he said lightly. “Any friend of Oikawa’s – be that his assistant or his court mate – is a friend of mine.” It was true; Daichi and Oikawa had spent much of their childhood together learning princely duties while new accords and agreements were being made by their parents.

“As you wish, Daichi,” Iwaizumi responded, seeming to struggle to shake off the high level of respect he held and relax a little. “In which case, just Hajime or Iwaizumi are fine,” he added with a nod.

“Awh, Iwa-chan! You’ve never told me to call you Hajime!” Oikawa complained, wrapping his arms around one of Iwaizumi’s firm, muscular arms.

Daichi could only laugh at the slightly uncomfortable, slightly blushing expression on Iwaizumi’s face, until his mother coughed dramatically to oh-so-discreetly tell him to move on with the greetings.

“Sorry, Oikawa, Iwaizumi,” he said sheepishly. “I’d love to chat more, but I’m being told I need to move on with meeting the other guests.”

Oikawa didn’t seem at all phased by this. “Not to worry, birthday boy! We’ll be staying in the castle for a while after today. I’m also here as a representative for my father in a few meetings while he is attending some more, shall we say _pressing_ matters,” Oikawa explained, and Daichi couldn’t help but grin and nod.

“You know you’re welcome as long as you want,” he said before allowing the two to continue on enjoying the festivities.

Meanwhile, Daichi now had to sit through countless greetings. Men and women, alphas, betas and omegas alike, all vied for his attention. Some were outright blunt marriage proposals, while others seems to play the coyness card. None of them appealed to Daichi in the slightest, as he had anticipated. An hour into it and he now had a pile of offerings at his feet that people had left as ‘tokens of their affection’ as they had put it. Many included expensive silks and jewel-encrusted gold, which only showed Daichi just how little these people actually knew about him if they thought they could gain his affections through lavish items. At least he spotted a few items he knew his friends might like, so instead of throwing things out, he ordered for them to be taken to his bedchambers once they had all been inspected for safety reasons.

The thing that really got under Daichi’s skin was seeing a few in the line-up who looked like they’d rather be literally anywhere else. Not because he thought it was rude, but because he knew instantly that their parents must have forced them to do it, just as Daichi’s parents were forcing him to sit through it.

There was one in particular, a male omega who seemed to be hardly younger than Daichi, who couldn’t have looked more uncomfortable as he approached the prince. In fairness, he was the most attractive person to approach him thus far, with shining black curls and thick, long eyelashes that framed his dark eyes, the colour hard to make out. Still, Daichi didn’t feel any spark, any raise in his heartbeat, nothing to indicate that he was actually attracted to him. Which he supposed was a good thing, considering the omega’s obvious dislike of the situation. He was also shivering, the brisk air reaching his skin easily in the thin, sheer silks he wore, undoubtedly to try and catch the prince’s attention.

“Your highness,” he said softly as he bowed deeply, his voice smooth but noticeably tight. Daichi could have sworn he heard Bokuto gasp behind him. “My name is Akaashi Keiji. I-” His words faltered when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and his head whipped up from where it had remained lowered only to see that it was the prince, offering him a saddened but empathetic smile.

“Akaashi-san. Please, I can sense you’ve been forced into this. You needn’t go on,” Daichi said softly, his voice quiet enough that any onlookers would not be able to overhear.

Akaashi’s relief was clear once he’d heard the prince’s words, to the point where his eyes seemed to dampen with the threat of tears. “I’m sorry, your highness. I just… I’m sure you are wonderful but…”

“No, no don’t apologise, Akaashi-san. I know exactly how you feel,” Daichi assured him, then glanced over his shoulder at his guards. True to his guess, Bokuto couldn’t take his eyes off of Akaashi, looking at him like he’d just discovered the rarest jewels of the earth, and with a knowing smirk, Daichi got an idea. “Bokuto,” he called, waving the guard forwards.

Snapped out of his daze by the call of his name, Bokuto hurried to the side of the prince, his heart racing, for he had never seen a more beautiful human being than Akaashi Keiji in all his life. “Your highness?” he asked, sticking to the formalities while in the presence of strangers.

Daichi smirked to himself again when he watched the colour rush back into Akaashi’s previously pale face when he laid eyes on the guard now at his side. “Akaashi-san here has been put under a lot of stress to be here. Why don’t you show him around? I’m sure it will help him feel more relaxed if he is able to enjoy the festivities with someone else,” Daichi suggested, smiling sweetly at the two of them, who had so far been unable to look away from each other. “And he seems a little cold. I’m sure you could help find him a coat of sorts, no?”

Bokuto swallowed thickly and nodded, offering his arm out to Akaashi, who took it gratefully. As they stepped away, Akaashi turned his head, a grateful smile on his lips, and mouthed, “Thank you,” to Daichi, who simply nodded once with a smile.

If he wasn’t able to find his mate today, at least someone should.

A few more greetings later, and Daichi was at wit’s end.

“Kuroo,” he whispered to his remaining guard. “You’ve got to help me get away. I can’t stand this any longer.” He was in desperate need of at least a break, if not an escape from the greetings for the rest of the day, but he knew his parents would not let him rest until he’d seen as many people as possible.

Kuroo, being the good friend and devious man he was, scanned the crowd as he tried to think of a distraction. As a stroke of luck, he managed to spot a dance act making their way towards the king and queen for entertainment.

“Okay, some dancers are coming this way,” Kuroo pointed out quietly so that no-one but Daichi could hear him. “When they start dancing, wait for my signal and go.”

Daichi nodded, filled with a new sense of determination at the prospect of getting out of there.

The dancers began performing as yet another person began to present themselves to the prince, but he wasn’t listening, instead watching Kuroo from the corner of his eye as he approached the king and queen. Daichi saw him lean over and say something, and as soon as Daichi’s parents began laughing, Kuroo waved his hand behind his back.

Taking that as his signal, Daichi excused himself from the guest jabbering away at him and quickly snuck off away from his parents’ lines of sight, ducking behind a hedge and making his way out of the crowded areas of the palace grounds, finally able to actually breathe.

 

\- ∞ -

 

When Oikawa had told Suga he would be accompanying him to Karasuno for an unclear number of weeks, he was delighted. Not because of the festival on the first day that Oikawa had mentioned, but because it was his childhood home; he’d spent the first eight years of his life in Karasuno, before his circumstances changed and he ended up in Aobajousai with his uncle. He wondered if any of his friends were still there, or if they would remember him, but of course it had been 12 years since the last time he was in Karasuno.

At the same time, it scared him a little, to the point where returning to Karasuno filled him with a little bit of dread. He just hoped being there wouldn’t reopen any old wounds.

The journey was longer than he remembered, probably because he’d slept through most of it as a child, and they made more stops seeing as there were more people who would need breaks. There was also a road blockage caused by a landslide that set them back half a day, so they only arrived at the castle in Karasuno on the morning of the festival and, from what he’d heard, the prince’s birthday.

After resting only a couple of hours, Oikawa wanted to get right into the festivities. Suga had learned from the omegan prince that he and Prince Daichi had been friends as children, so he was eager to see him again. Suga had laughed when he reminded his prince they would be there for a while, to the point where Oikawa might get sick of him.

Once the festivities had started, Suga managed to somehow lose sight of Oikawa and his, as Oikawa had put it, “future hubby” quite quickly, leaving the silver-haired omega stood alone in the crowd, wondering what to do. With a sigh, he set about looking around at the various stalls selling all sorts of merchandise, his eyes catching on the steel cuffs and bronze dagger on one metal-vendor’s table. He had no need for such items, though, so instead he set about finding something to eat.

After purchasing a sweet bread bun from a kindly baker’s stall, he began wandering about aimlessly and before he knew it, he was lost.

“Great,” he grumbled, looking around with a sigh. He’d ended up somewhere completely devoid of people. _I guess I don’t remember the area as much as I thought,_ he thought to himself dejectedly. On the bright side, he could still hear the chatter and music of the festival, so he mustn’t have strayed too far.

That was when he heard some muffled crying, and he turned a corner to find a small child with bright orange hair tied into pigtails hugging her knees as she sat and cried.

Suga immediately went to her side and crouched down, letting some of his calming pheromones seep out. “Hey, are you okay, little one?” he asked in a calm, gentle voice.

The girl looked up, her big brown eyes swimming with tears and her lip wobbling. “I-I c-c-can’t find m-my b-b-brother!” she cried, tears cascading down her cheeks.

 _Poor girl, she must be so scared,_ Suga thought to himself before springing into action. “You got lost?” he asked for clarification, earning a nod from the small girl. “Me too! Hey, why don’t we go on an adventure to find your brother?” he suggested, offering her a warm smile. She still seemed pretty shaken, though, so he ripped off half of his sweet bread and held it out to her. “Here, you’ll need your strength if we’re going to complete our mission,” he said, feigning seriousness as though they were on a quest.

At that, her crying subsided into small sniffles, and she took the bread. “Th-thank you, mister,” she said shyly, taking a bite. Suga could have sworn the corners of her mouth turned up in a little smile, and he felt much better knowing he’d at least helped to calm the girl down.

“Just call me Suga,” he told her, before asking, “And what can I call you, hm?”

The girl looked much calmer already, and she replied with a much steadier voice, “My name’s Hinata Natsu. Call me Natsu.”

Suga nodded, and stood from where he was crouched down. “Okay, Natsu. How about we try and find our way back to the festival. That’s where you lost your brother, right?” he asked holding his hand out for her to take, which she did once she stood from the ground and brushed off her pink dress.

Natsu nodded, but before wither of them could say anything more, a voice came from behind them.

“I couldn’t help but overhear that you were lost,” the deep, rich voice said.

Suga whipped his head around and stepped in front of the girl, shielding her from the stranger. He could immediately smell _alpha_ , and a powerful one at that. His actions were purely instinctual, but once he gaged the situation, the alpha before him didn’t seem so much as a threat as he had feared. He didn’t emit any commanding pheromones, and he stood a fair distance back.

The alpha’s appearance nearly made Suga gasp out loud. From where he stood, he looked like he couldn’t have been much taller than Suga, but his frame was strikingly different. He was all lightly tanned muscle – broad shoulders, muscular arms, and those thighs! Suga had to force himself to look the man in the eye to stop himself from staring. Not that it helped much, seeing as his face was probably the most handsome he’d seen in his life. Even Oikawa’s looks couldn’t compare, as they were very different types of attractive, this alpha’s jaw much stronger and defined. His mouth had gone dry, and his words escaped him, to the point where there was a long pause before Natsu spoke up, snapping Suga out of his trance.

“Yeah, we’re lost,” she said from her spot behind Suga, peeking out around his waist, though still clutching the back of his shirt.

Suga coughed and returned to his usual self in an attempt to hide his embarrassment. “Ah, no, well, Natsu here lost her brother, so I was going to help her look for him,” he explained, smiling brightly and rubbing the back of his neck.

Natsu, on the other hand, didn’t seem to catch on to Suga’s attempt at seeming a little less useless and said, “But Suga, when I said I was lost, you said ‘me too’.”

Suga bit his lip, his cheeks flaring red with embarrassment, which was worsened by the alpha’s chuckle at the girl’s words.

“Not to worry. I, um… know this area very well. I can show you the way back,” the man offered. “Suga, was it? Want me to show you guys the way?”

Despite not getting any hints of threat from the man, Suga was still wary, but it was better than wandering around alone and risking getting Natsu into a worse situation.

“Sugawara Koushi, but everyone calls me Suga,” he explained, a little unsure of why, then nodded firmly. “You can show us the way back, but if you try anything, I warn you – I am trained in combat and self-defence.” His tone was serious, leaving the threat there in the open. The alpha didn’t seem to take offence from the warning, though he did seem surprised by it. Like it had caught him off guard.

“You have my word, no harm will come to you in my company,” he replied with a nod, before turning around and starting to make his way back. He turned his head back to Suga and Natsu, who hadn’t moved. “Are you coming?”

Suga shared a look with Natsu, then took her hand and followed the alpha back towards the ruckus of the festival.

 

\- ∞ -

 

 When Daichi had made his escape, the last thing he expected to stumble upon was a man and a child talking in a restricted part of the palace grounds. Firstly, because it was evident that no guards had stopped them, but secondly because they were so far from the rest of the festival.

“- lost your brother, right?” he heard the older of the two say. From where Daichi stood, he could only see the man’s back, and expected him to be old judging by the mop of silver hair he could see. The girl was much smaller and younger, her orange hair a bright contrast to the man’s. The scent of an omega’s soothing pheromones reached his nose faintly, and he know it must have come from the man as the girl seemed too young to have presented yet.

Daichi relaxed knowing they weren’t just sneaking around but had actually gotten lost, and he couldn’t just leave them, especially as they would get into a lot of trouble if they were found back here by one of the guards, so he stepped in.

“I couldn’t help but overhear that you were lost,” he said, ready to offer his help.

That was when the man whipped his head round, his body following suit as he pulled the girl behind him protectively, glaring at Daichi for a second before relaxing a little.

Little did the man know, he’d taken Daichi’s breath away.

The head of shining, silver hair belonged to a young man, seemingly around Daichi’s age, and by god was his beauty incomparable.

His deep chocolate eyes were even more warm and striking against his pale skin, and Daichi’s sharp eye could make out an adorable beauty mark beside his left eye that just added an element of uniqueness to his appearance.

Daichi hadn’t realised they were stood in silence for so long until the little girl spoke up, forcing his eyes away from the beautiful man as he listened to her confirmation.

It was then that the beautiful omega spoke, and Daichi almost didn’t hear his words as he was so enthralled by the sound of his voice, sending chills through him in the best possible way.

Daichi could only laugh when the girl refuted his denial of being lost before offering his help. That was when he learned the omega’s name. Sugawara Koushi. Even his name was beautiful to Daichi. He was also impressed with Suga’s fiery threat, finding it oh so attractive to learn the omega knew how to look after himself and wasn’t afraid to stand up to an alpha. It was also then that he realised that Suga had no idea who he was, which made this all the more exciting.

Suga spent the walk back to the main event chatting quietly with Natsu, who Daichi had learned had only met Suga today when he found her crying because she’d lost her brother. It surprised him how easily the girl found comfort in the silver-haired man, to the point where she clung to him when Daichi got too close. He supposed that was just Suga’s nature – to make everyone feel comfortable around him.

When they reached the boundary between what was open to the public and what was restricted, Suga noticed the sign and stopped.

“Oh god, we weren’t supposed to be back there!” he gasped, and Daichi found it entirely endearing.

“I’m sure nothing will happen, especially since no-one noticed,” Daichi replied casually, though he made a mental note to report the lack of security in that area later.

Suga looked unsure, but nodded anyway, and they continued on through the crowd to find Natsu’s brother. Daichi kept his head down, trying to blend in as much as possible without being recognised. Somehow, it worked quite well, probably because no-one could even imagine the prince being amongst the crowd.

Suga was calling out, “Hinata-san!” while Natsu called out, “Oniichan!” to try and locate her brother.

Thankfully, after only ten minutes of searching, a tuft of red hair came into view.

“Oniichan!” Natsu called, and ran in his direction.

Daichi felt a hand on his arm, and turned to see Suga had gripped him in his excitement. “Look! We found her brother,” he said happily to Daichi, and pulled him along towards where Natsu had run off.

Daichi, in his slight daze, let himself be led off. An amusing thought came to mind as they went – what would his parents think, if they knew he was being pulled around by a stranger who didn’t even know his name?

When they reached the girl, she was in the arms of a very relieved boy, who seemed small but only a few years younger than Daichi.

“Natsu! I was so worried!” he exclaimed animatedly. “Don’t you dare run off like that again! I was searching everywhere for you – mum would have murdered me if she knew!” He hugged her tightly, ruffling her hair as she giggled in delight.

“Suga-san found me – we were lost! And then this big scary man showed us the way back,” she detailed energetically, not noticing Daichi and Suga approach them.

Suga chuckled and spoke up. “I would be that ‘Suga-san’,” he said, introducing himself. “Sugawara Koushi, but call me Suga. I found Natsu – she was so upset because she couldn’t find you.”

Natsu’s brother looked up and grinned. “Thanks so much, Suga-san! Oh! I’m Hinata Shouyou. We’re new to Karasuno, so we came to the festival, but who knew it would be so busy! Well, it is the prince’s birthday, so of course it was busy but…” Hinata rambled on, and Daichi found it impressive that Suga didn’t seem annoyed by his energetic speech.

“Well, it wasn’t just me! The ‘big scary man’ Natsu mentioned helped too,” Suga said with a giggle, nudging Daichi’s side as he implicitly teased him with the description.

Daichi rolled his eyes, but couldn’t stop himself from smiling too.

“Thank you! I-” Hinata began, turning to Daichi before cutting his own words off with a gasp.

Well, this was it. Undoubtedly, the end of his break, and the end of enjoying his time with Suga being blissfully unaware of who he was.

“Prince Daichi?!” Hinata exclaimed, gobsmacked. He fumbled himself into a bow, getting Natsu to do the same. Daichi cautioned a look over at Suga, who seemed confused as the words registered. “Your highness, I’m so sorry for the trouble my sister caused, and for her rudeness in calling you scary,” Hinata continued, and Daichi put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

“Please, relax. She was no trouble at all, so don’t worry,” Daichi said, starting to get uncomfortable as a few more eyes strayed in their direction.

“Ah, um, okay, your highness. Well, if you please excuse us, um…” Hinata trailed off, and with a nod of permission from Daichi, he pulled Natsu away, probably to burst from embarrassment if the red hue of his cheeks was anything to go by.

Finally, Daichi was able to properly turn and look at Suga, who funnily enough didn’t seem to be faring much better than Hinata. If Daichi had to name the expression the omega was wearing, he’d probably go with something along the lines of ‘mortified’.

“Prince Daichi. As in, crown prince of Karasuno, Prince Daichi,” he mumbled, as though speaking his thoughts out loud.

“Ah, yeah, so about that… I never did introduce myself, did I?” Daichi rubbed the back of his neck as a nervous habit, unable to predict what the gorgeous man before him would do next.

“No, I don’t recall that coming up in conversation,” Suga replied, still dazed, though seeming to have processed things a little more. Then, his eyes widened. “Oh god! I’ve been so disrespectful! I even pulled you over to Natsu and Shouyou! Forgive me, your highness! I didn’t know…”

Daichi could see the panic in Suga’s eyes; he genuinely believed he’d somehow done something wrong. The prince wanted to laugh at the prospect, but feared it would worry the omega even more, so instead he took hold of Suga’s arm gently in an attempt to get the man to look at him, as during his rambling apology he had lowered himself into a bow.

The touch shocked Suga enough to get him to look Daichi in the eyes.

“Suga, please, you’ve been anything but disrespectful. If I didn’t like anything you’d said or done, would I have stayed in your company?” The question was obviously rhetorical, but Suga opened his mouth as if to answer. Before he could, however, Daichi continued. “I have enjoyed your company, even if you did glare at me like I was a bloodthirsty feral alpha,” he said with an amused chuckle, letting go of Suga’s arm when he was sure the other had relaxed a little. “So please, don’t apologise. And that ‘your highness’ stuff makes me feel so pretentious, so just call me Daichi.”

Suga was lost for words, but before he even got a moment to think about what Daichi had said, Daichi saw Kuroo approach him.

“Sorry bro- I mean, your highness,” Kuroo corrected himself, noticing Daichi wasn’t alone. “Your father wants you back, and I’d rather he not wring my neck if I come back empty-handed.”

Daichi sighed, knowing he had to go.

“Until we meet again, Sugawara-san.”

With a bow, Daichi retreated back to his seat, ignoring the glares he got from his parents.

Finishing the greetings was harder than he could have imagined. Especially now his mind was filled with thoughts of a particular silver-haired omega.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BTW if the characters (specifically Daichi) seem out of character for a bit, just remember Daichi is a prince here, so he's been taught to act a certain way unless it is a close friend and he has no reason to act regal.
> 
> Also, the first chapter title wasn't really a song lyric but I guess its sort of a play on the lyric from Taylor Swift's 'Love Story'? (wow wasn't that a song from my childhood XD
> 
> Final note - I'm English (i.e. from England) so please do ask me if you ever don't know what any words I use mean - I know some things have different names elsewhere (alternatively, you can google them )


	2. Losing Patience

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title song: Losing Patience - Alter Bridge
> 
> Hey guys! I wanted to take this opportunity to explain the setting:  
> For all intents and purposes, this is a historical-style royalty fic BUT it's also sort of fantasy because they do have SOME modern things (call it laziness or for my own ease or whatever but I wanted some things). These include: electric lighting, proper plumbing (so running taps and showers, etc), clocks (although clocks have existed a long time so idk if this is really out of the ordinary), slightly better medical practices (though not nearly as technologically advanced as now in the real world), and projectors (think old, old film, where there's a wheel of film that is spun to project images onto a wall/screen)
> 
> Hope this clears some things up! Everything else is historic like weapons (aka no guns), travel (horse-drawn carriages, etc) and such things.

Nothing could have prepared Suga for the onslaught of questions he got once he reunited with Oikawa.

He’d spent the rest of the festival sort of floating about in a daze, drifting from stall to stall without really paying attention to what was being sold. Instead, his mind was running through the day’s events, most namely his interactions with a certain prince.

He was conflicted; he’d never felt such an instant attraction or connection like he did with Daichi with anyone else before, but at the same time, he was the prince! There was no way he would be able to – or even want to – see Suga again. Suga was a commoner, for all intents and purposes, and wasn’t particularly striking. The only thing remotely remarkable about him, in his opinion, was his natural silver hair. _“A gift from the gods,”_ his mother, whose face was framed by a similar shade as his own, had told him when he was young. Other than that, he was plain and normal and not at all what a prince would look twice at.

Yet, there were his words: _“Until we meet again, Sugawara-san.”_

Those words echoed within him, reaching parts of him that he didn’t even know existed. Just the notion of seeing Daichi again sent a pleasant tingle through his body, and he’d be damned if e could keep the giddy smile off his face.

There was also the small fact that Suga would be staying in the castle with Oikawa for however long the prince of Aobajousai saw fit. That meant there was an almost indisputably high likelihood of him seeing Daichi again, if only at a distance, and that simple fact both thrilled and terrified Suga.

It was with these thoughts occupying his mind so completely that Oikawa could tell something had happened when he and Iwaizumi had finally found Suga. At that point, the sun had already begun to set, painting the sky with watercolours of peach, purple and everything in between. In a fashion that was so typically Oikawa, Suga’s absentmindedness led to a full-blown interrogation when they reached the room Oikawa had been given for his stay, to which Oikawa had practically had to drag Suga.

“You met someone, didn’t you, Kou-chan,” Oikawa teased with a knowing grin once in the privacy of his room. He lay on his front on the large, lavishly decorated bed, his chin resting on his palms, propped up by his elbows. The room was smaller than Oikawa’s bedchambers back at home, but still sizeable for a guest room, which made Suga wonder if this was where he’d stayed since he was a child. Curtains of silk and lace draped down over the dark, polished wood frame of the four-poster bed which was situated in the middle of the room, leaving plenty of space for the expansive wardrobe and ornate dressing table. Needless to say, the room suited Oikawa’s fancies perfectly.

Iwaizumi had bid them goodnight before they had entered the room, and retreated to his own room thereafter as it was not traditional for mere court mates to share a room. Suga knew one would end up in the other’s room at some point or another anyway, as they usually did. Not that such rules were as strictly followed in Aobajousai. Nevertheless, Suga vowed to try his best at keeping the two apart whilst in Karasuno in case they followed strict rules.

“I don’t know what you mean,” Suga responded automatically as he was folding Oikawa’s clothes and placing them in the dresser on the other side of the room.

“Really? Because you’ve been awfully distracted since we got back, and I can practically smell your excitement. Shouldn’t there be songbirds and baby deer trailing behind you?”

Suga rolled his eyes, even though Oikawa couldn’t see as his back was turned while he put away more clothes. Oikawa was always one for the dramatics.

“It’s nothing like that,” he replied defensively. How was Oikawa so good at reading people? It didn’t seem fair. He always knew what Suga was thinking before the man himself knew.

Oikawa wasn’t even the slightest bit convinced by Suga’s denials. “Oh? And I suppose you spent the whole festival walking around on your own, do I?” he asked incredulously, rolling onto his side and propping himself up on just one elbow now so he could catch Suga’s gaze.

Suga huffed, avoiding his best friend’s eyes. “Well, no. I also found a lost girl and helped her find her brother,” he explained vaguely. It was the truth, though. Not the _whole_ truth, but the truth nonetheless.

To be perfectly honest, there wasn’t much reason to avoid telling Oikawa about his meeting with Daichi apart from the fact that he was still so embarrassed by the way he had acted, especially since he didn’t know it was him. Oikawa was sure to never let him live it down, and knowing that Oikawa had grown up with Daichi, he would have said something to the other prince for sure if he knew. So, to salvage at least some of his dignity, Suga wanted to keep that part of the day to himself for as long as possible. Indeed, there was no need to add fuel to Oikawa’s gossiping tendencies.

Oikawa let out an unsatisfied groan and rolled over onto his back dramatically. “My dear Koushi, I know you’re keeping something from me. You wound me!” He then sat up, a cheeky grin that filled Suga with a sense of dread now adorning his face. “I’ll find out eventually, you know. You can’t hide anything from me!”

Suga hated that he was probably right.

 

\- ∞ -

 

Once the sun had set and night rolled in, Daichi was finally able to breathe easy. Then, finally, he was able to celebrate his birthday how he wanted: drinking with his friends.

It was hard to make many friends when you were the crown prince of a country, partly because there were so many responsibilities along with the role, and partly because most of the options for friends were limited to people within the castle.

He was lucky to have found Kuroo, who had snuck in as a kid to watch his father, a general in the military, give demonstrations to the new recruits one day many years ago. Daichi happened to run away from his calligraphy lesson that day to do the same thing, and by chance had chosen the same hiding spot at the other young boy. From then on, the rest was history. Sure, they’d been scolded when they were inevitably caught, but it also led to Kuroo being allowed to visit more often, seeing as King Daiki hadn’t seen his son have so much fun in a long while. Then Kuroo’s stays became longer as he trained just like his father, until the king assigned him a palace guard and, more specifically, Daichi’s right-hand man.

Through Kuroo, Daichi was recently becoming friends with Bokuto, another recent addition to the palace guard due to his exceptional strength and skills in military training. He was also known for his loyalty, making him both a perfect candidate for the role and a great friend. He and Kuroo got on like a house on fire, and their chemistry was infectious, meaning it was easy for Daichi to make fast friends with Bokuto and have great times with them.

Then there was Asahi; he was different from most alphas, favouring brains over brawls despite his large, muscular stature. The son of a lesser noble in Karasuno, he often preferred logic and strategy when he was made to join in with training. His weapon of choice, more often than not, was the bow and arrow because of its range, allowing him to scope out areas and formulate plans. Not that he liked fighting all that much in any shape or form – he much preferred settling disputes with words – but he was braver than he made out, and Daichi respected him greatly.

The three of them lounged in one of the fire-lit studies, plenty of port and other wines at their dispense, laughing away at old stories while Asahi and Kuroo told Bokuto of all the embarrassing things Daichi had done in his youth. Daichi would have also invited Oikawa, had he known where the other prince was staying within the castle. Though it seemed his lack of knowledge on his whereabouts may have worked to Daichi’s advantage, as the omega was sure to happily contribute some of his own accounts of ways Daichi was dumb.

“Oh oh! And have you seen that newbie?” Kuroo piped in at one point, referring to the newest guard-in-training. “Y’know, Kageyama Tobio? Saw him glaring as usual today but then the _funniest thing_ happened!” Kuroo had to pause to let out a boisterous, hearty laugh comparable to a hyena’s cackle, undoubtedly less inhibited in his inebriated state. “This kid, a shrimp of a guy, ran into him, and _I shit you not_ the stoic grumpy newbie _blushed!_ ” That fact set everyone off into laughter, knowing how unemotional the boy usually acted.

After catching his breath and wiping his eye, Daichi turned to Bokuto. “Speaking of which,” he began mischievously, “how was your afternoon with Akaashi-san?”

That caught Bokuto off guard, and he nearly choked on his drink, sputtering and coughing while the other three laughed (well, Kuroo and Daichi laughed. Asahi looked mildly concerned that the man was choking).

“Ah, well,” Bokuto began sheepishly once he regained his composure. “It was… nice.”

Daichi gave him such an unamused look that, after a moment, he cracked under the pressure and threw his arms up in exasperation.

“Ugh, fine! He’s so amazing and beautiful and I don’t even remember what we did at the festival because I spent the whole time just watching him and his super cute smile and super gorgeous eyes and goddamn it I want to see him again!” His words rushed out, and Daichi smirked triumphantly.

“He’s so perfect, and it really sucks that his mother was pressuring him into trying to seduce you,” Bukuto then sighed at Daichi, and the prince’s smirk faltered.

“What do you mean,” he asked, confused. Bokuto knew Daichi wasn’t interested in Akaashi, though little did he know exactly how disinterested in romantically pursuing the man he was thanks to a certain silver-haired omega.

Bokuto took a long swig from his chalice before continuing. “Well, he seemed so unhappy. His mum is like, super controlling and stuff. And no way would she willingly let me court Akaashi, considering she knows he’s fit for a future king!” The sizeable, grown alpha was full-on pouting by now as he pined over the omega.

Daichi mulled Bokuto’s words over and decided he would try and help the situation. How, he was unsure for now, but he would find a way. Right from their first meeting, even an outsider could spot the chemistry between the owlish alpha and the pretty omega. The electricity had practically crackled before the prince’s very eyes when Akaashi had taken the guard’s arm.

“Don’t say that!” Kuroo interjected, some port sloshing over the brim of his own chalice. “Anyone would be a fool to turn you down, bro!”

Asahi seemed to find Kuroo’s drunken encouragement amusing as he quietly chuckled to himself at the display, which turned into a full-out laugh when Bokuto pulled Kuroo into a sloppy hug that caused the latter to spill half his drink all over himself.

Their intoxicated antics continued well into the night, until Kuroo had fallen asleep in one of the armchairs, Asahi had helped an unsteady Bokuto back to his room, and Daichi decided to head for bed, passing out the moment his head hit the plush pillow.

 

\- ∞ -

 

The next morning, Daichi awoke to the distant chorus of birdsong with a dull ache in his head, once again thankful that he never got too badly hungover no matter how much he drank.

It couldn’t have been much later than late morning, not yet noon, but he noticed a tray of food on his desk that a maid must have left, meaning he’d missed breakfast.

Yawning widely and stretching out his limbs, Daichi eventually pulled himself out of bed and over to the food, his stomach eager once the smell hit him; eggs, bacon, rice… all his favourite breakfast foods. As he sat down and dug in, he noticed a letter beside the tray and, with his mouth stuffed, he picked it up and opened it.

_Your highness, Prince Daichi,_

_His majesty, King Daiki, requests your attendance in the small council chamber in the east wing at noon. He has stated that there are some urgent matters to discuss, and politely requests that you dress appropriately, as you will be joined by his highness, Prince Oikawa of Aobajousai._

_Sincerest regards._

The letter had clearly been dictated by his father, seeing as Daichi had a tendency to turn up to their private meetings dressed… well, not as expected of a prince. With a sigh, Daichi put the letter down to finish his breakfast before calling for his usual servant to draw him a bath. God knows he needed one, especially since he’d slept in his day clothes by accident.

Once properly cleaned and dressed, actually wearing a clean blue shirt and freshly-ironed trousers, Daichi headed out to the small council room as his father had requested.

It was on his way there that he heard a familiar melodic laugh. Rounding the corner, he found the source and was about to greet him with a witty remark, but stopped dead in his tracks.

Oikawa was walking beside none other than the man Daichi couldn’t stop thinking about.

“Ah! Daichi!” Oikawa had turned, spotting the alpha prince where he was planted in place. Oikawa was momentarily confused, until he followed Daichi’s line of sight. A knowing smirk blossomed on his face, and he sauntered over to the other prince, a newfound spring in his step. “Daichi, remember I said my personal assistant slash best friend was joining us?” he asked with an uncharacteristic and obviously fake coyness, taking one of Daichi’s arms into his own and pulling him back to where Suga was, also frozen in place, averting his gaze from that of the two princes.

It took a moment for Daichi’s mind to catch up, and his words seemed to fail him. “S-Suga-san?” he stuttered, completely taken by surprise. He was instantly grateful his father had made a point to get him to dress appropriately.

“Your h- um, Daichi,” Suga muttered, correcting himself when he remembered yesterday’s conversation, trying to avoid making eye contact without being disrespectful. He couldn’t face Daichi here, with Oikawa grinning like a Cheshire cat. Suga hadn’t expected to bump into Daichi so soon; he had spent the night and the entire morning trying to push the prince from his thoughts, though to little avail. Now everything he’d felt the day before flooded back at full force, and he didn’t know what to say. His heart was racing and his mouth felt dry, but luckily he was saved from having to say anything more.

“Oh, so you two have met?” Oikawa pitched in, though it was obvious he already knew the answer, especially judging by the look he was giving Suga. One that said, _I knew you weren’t telling me something._

Meanwhile, Daichi managed to gather his bearings, as difficult as that was with the Adonis of a man in front of him. He coughed once to clear his throat, directing Oikawa’s attention back to him. “Ah, yes. I helped Suga-san reunite a lost girl with her brother yesterday,” he explained vaguely, consciously not wanting to embarrass Suga by pointing out that he, too, was lost.

“So I’ve heard. Though this is my first time hearing that Suga had help,” Oikawa replied, shooting Suga a pointed look, the other omega dreading the conversation they were undoubtedly going to have later.

Suga, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible, finally sprung into action. “Well, Tooru - I mean, Prince Oikawa! – I’ve, ah, got that thing to be getting on with, and I’m sure you don’t want to keep the king waiting.” He bowed at Oikawa, as he usually did if anyone other than Iwaizumi was present, then turned to bow at Daichi before scampering off in a rush, trying to hide his rosy cheeks.

“This isn’t over, Kou-chan!” Oikawa called after him before turning to Daichi with a smirk. “Well, as interesting as this development is, he’s right in saying we shouldn’t keep your father waiting. Shall we?” He offered out his arm to Daichi, looping it through the alpha’s arm before he could try and get away, and together they travelled the remaining distance to the small council room.

 

\- ∞ -

 

“Once again, Tooru, thank you. Your input has been invaluable.” The king nodded gratefully to Oikawa, deciding that the meeting was done for the day. There was still much to discuss, especially on what actions to take following some threats of violence from Datekougyou, one of the nearby kingdoms known for its unbreakable fortifications and often colloquially referred to as the ‘iron wall’. However, Oikawa had assured King Daiki that he would stay as long as needed to offer his advice on behalf of Aobajousai, and the threats weren’t imminent, so they had time and needn’t spend all their energy in one meeting.

“Your majesty, it is my honour to be of use to you,” Oikawa replied with a respectful nod. Daichi had only ever known Oikawa to act so formal in front of the king of Karasuno, and it was so out of character that it was even a little bit unsettling.

“Daichi, my son, I’d like to speak with you for a moment, if I may. In private,” the king added, turning to the alpha prince.

Daichi looked over to Oikawa, who simply smiled and said, “I’ll be outside,” before vacating the room.

“Yes, father?” Daichi asked, not bothering to sit again and instead leaning against the table.

King Daiki didn’t seem angry, just weary when he sighed and reclined in his seat. “I know you snuck off yesterday. As loyal as that Kuroo boy is to you, subtlety isn’t exactly in his nature,” he said with a weak chuckle. “I don’t know how long I can stand by, watching you reject any and all advancements from perfectly suitable candidates. What was wrong with that pretty one you sent away with your guard?”

“He just wasn’t right for me. Besides, he was being forced by his mother to present himself to me. He was clearly unhappy,” Daichi explained, trying his hardest not to get exasperated. “The last thing I’d want is to force someone into an unhappy marriage with me. Look, father. Just give me some more time. That’s all I ask.” Daichi honestly didn’t know if anything would come from his meeting with Suga, and he didn’t mention the omega so as not to get his father’s hopes up, but he really did feel _something_ , at least. Something that he hadn’t felt with anyone else. Something that brought his name to mind in this conversation. Something that begged him to at least _try_ and pursue Suga.

And for that to happen, he needed his father off his back.

King Daiki sighed, and nodded. “I will try my best, Daichi. But if it takes much longer for you to at least begin courting someone, my boy, I will be forced to intervene. You are dismissed.”

That was the clear ending of the conversation, leaving no room for Daichi to argue, so the young alpha left the room. He found Oikawa still out there, leaning against the opposite wall. Oikawa didn’t say anything, but Daichi had a suspicion that he’d heard at least part of their conversation. He’d rather not discuss his love life – or lack thereof – right then, and Oikawa seemed to sense Daichi’s dismissal of the topic, so they walked the rest of the way to the private dining room for a late lunch in a comfortable silence.

Oikawa, however, couldn’t keep quiet much longer once they entered the room, only a maid and a servant awaiting their arrival to send word for the food to be brought up.

“Daichi, I know you don’t want to talk about it, and forgive me if I’m speaking out of turn, but did your father… threaten you to find a mate?” he asked hesitantly, clearly approaching the subject with as much sensitivity as he could muster as his hesitancy was so out of character for him.

Daichi took a seat opposite Oikawa and sighed, a long, weary sigh of defeat. “Not really. His only ‘threat’ is to start setting me up with people for now. But who knows how long it will take him to revert to his grandfather’s time and set up an arranged marriage…”

Daichi heard a gasp and looked up from where he was focusing on his napkin, only to see Oikawa’s face to hold a mixture of shock and disappointment. “He wouldn’t, would he?” he asked in disbelief.

Naturally, arranged marriages and matings hadn’t been used for several generations in Karasuno now, and for even longer in Aobajousai. They were considered crude and selfish, often done by locking the two parties in a room when the alpha was in a rut, or if the other of the party is an omega, when the omega was in heat. That way, they would hardly be able to resist their biological urges and so the mating would commence and be binding. Therefore, Oikawa’s reaction wasn’t entirely surprising.

Daichi could only shrug. “At this point, I honestly don’t know. My father’s been trying to get me to find a mate since I was eighteen. I get the feeling he’s losing his patience, especially after I outright rejected everyone I met yesterday.” _Well, not exactly everyone,_ he thought to himself, but that was something else entirely.

Oikawa huffed, and before he could say anything more, the dining room door opened to reveal a slightly flushed Iwaizumi.

“Iwa-chan!” Oikawa exclaimed happily, practically jumping out of his chair to latch onto one of the alpha’s arms once he’d reached the table. “Where’ve you been, hm? You’re all cold,” Oikawa asked, laying a palm against Iwaizumi’s cheek to feel the distinct lack of heat in his cheeks.

Iwaizumi rolled his eyes and pried the prince off of him, taking the seat beside the one Oikawa had just vacated. “I went out for some fresh air and a run. Any other questions?” he asked in irritation, though Daichi could definitely sense a fondness In Iwaizumi’s eyes when he spoke to Oikawa.

Oikawa opened his mouth, but for the second time that day, he was interrupted by the door opening, this time to let the servants through with their trays of food. Daichi noticed there being four plates rather than three, and he looked at the fourth one quizzically, not noticing Oikawa whisper to one of the servants.

Shortly after the three began to eat, the door opened again, and Daichi turned, only to nearly get the air knocked from his lungs.

Suga apologetically came in, nodding to Oikawa, and quietly took the fourth seat with a dish in front of it, which happened to be next to Daichi.

All the while, Daichi hadn’t taken another bite, his attention completely on the man settling in beside him; Suga’s every movement was nothing less than graceful, and Daichi caught himself thinking yet again about how his beauty was beyond compare. Even the way the light accentuated his features and glistened on his lustrous silvery hair. Even the way his eyelashes cast faint shadows below his eyes. Hell, even the way he seemed a little dishevelled, like he’d rushed to get there, his cheeks tinted pink and an untameable cowlick of hair sticking up even when he ran his fingers through the glossy strands.

Daichi knew he must have been caught staring, because all of a sudden Oikawa pointedly cleared his throat, shooting Daichi a look: _say something!_

“I- um – I didn’t realise you’d be joining us for lunch, Suga-san, seeing how it’s so late.” _Well, it’s a start at least,_ Daichi thought, unable to come up with anything better to say. He went back to his eating, trying to act nonchalant.

“Ah, right,” Suga began, a little nervously. “I lost track of time in the library, and then I passed Prince Oikawa while he was waiting for you and he told me to join you all for lunch.”

“Kou-chan, don’t be so formal about me! Not in front of Daichi, anyway,” Oikawa whined, pouting dramatically, making Suga scoff teasingly.

“Sorry, Tooru. I never know when we’re with company,” he said with a shrug, seeming to have gained more confidence in the past few minutes. As though a thought had just occurred to him, Suga then quickly turned to Daichi. “Speaking of, you don’t need to keep calling me ‘Suga-san’. I’m sure I told you just Suga is fine.”

The corners of Daichi’s lips curled up in a slight sheepish smirk and he nodded. “Okay, ‘Just Suga’,” he teased, which made Oikawa laugh out while Suga rolled his eyes, though he also could not contain his smile.

Now that the ice had broken, the rest of lunch continued with casual conversation that even Iwaizumi joined in one. The air of awkwardness at the start had all but dissipated, and Daichi found himself putting everything out of his mind and just enjoying the company of the other three men. But of course, all good things must come to an end, and far too soon, the dishes were cleared from the table and a messenger arrived to inform Daichi that he was needed in yet another meeting about the financial arrangements in several of Karasuno’s smaller villages.

With a sigh, Daichi rose from his chair and turned to the other three. “It’s good to have you all here – I’ve enjoyed eating this meal with company rather than on my own as usual,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck, which was a habit he had when he was nervous or embarrassed.

“Yes, well I can’t say the company was half bad either,” Oikawa added, nodding in agreement.

“We should do this again sometime,” Suga then blurted, catching Daichi off-guard. Suga seemed to realise what he’s said, so he rushed to explain. “The four of us having lunch, I mean!”

Oikawa couldn’t contain his chuckle as his best friend turned an impressive shade of red. To Suga’s relief, though, Daichi really did need to go, so with one final nod, the prince left the room and headed for his next meeting.

Daichi could only hope he would be able to steady his heartbeat before he arrived in front of the council. Thanks to Suga’s adorable-ness, it was racing in his chest, and if he’d bothered to stop off at a mirror, he would have seen that his cheeks were flushed with pink.

The prince knew he needed to see Suga more: there was no denying his pure, unadulterated attraction to the omega. He just had to figure out a way to do that before his time ran out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please do tell me what you think! Constructive criticisms are always welcome!  
> Comments and kudos are loved xx
> 
> See you next Friday with chapter 3!
> 
> (DISCLAIMER: un-edited/not beta'd)


	3. Even Now I Lie Awake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title song: History Has Its Eyes On You - Hamilton (Lin Manuel Miranda)

_“Shh. Hush, Koushi, my dear,” his mother whispered calmly in his ear as the boy silently sobbed in her arms. “Don’t be frightened, baby. Shh, it’s okay. Mummy loves you, okay? Remember that. Always remember.”_

_Suga flinched when the sound of something fragile shattering resonated through the room, even reaching where he and his mother were huddled together in the corner of the cramped, detatched closet. The tears would not stop streaming from his eyes, and he could feel the dampness on his forehead where his mother’s tears dripped._

_Aggressive, almost feral growls rumbled through the small house, ricocheting off every surface making it impossible to know where the sound originated._

_“I know you’re in here somewhere,” the growling man taunted in a horrifyingly amused voice. “Why don’t you come out and play, huh? And don’t think I don’t know there’s a kid. I can smell you both! Boy did I hit the jackpot!” The voice was becoming louder. Closer._

_Suga could barely breathe, and he did everything in his willpower to stay silent, he and his mother both clasping a hand over their mouths to muffle the sound of their erratic breathing._

_Suddenly, a huge crash resounded in the room, right by their hiding spot, and Suga gasped, his whole body trembling in terror. Then, without warning, Suga’s world turned sideways in the most painful way. The intruder must have pushed the closet over, because the next thing he knew, Suga hit the side of the closet roughly, his mother barely able to stop herself from crushing him. The impact made Suga release the tiniest of yelps, then everything went silent._

_For a long, torturous moment, all the boy could hear was his own heart pounding in his ears, and he clutched onto his mother like it was the last time he ever would._

_Then, the door was ripped open._

“NO!”

Suga bolted upright in an instant, very much awake. Drenched in sweat and clutching onto the front of his night shirt, he panted for air like he’d been drowning, until he broke down into a full-body sob.

It had been just over a week since he’d arrived back in Karasuno, but this was the first night in years where those memories invaded his dreams. He felt sick, and he didn’t know what to do with himself except curl up into a ball and cry like he had every night for too long all those years ago.

He was so far gone that he didn’t even notice the door open, or the figure rush in. Not until warm arms were around him, holding him close, a hand gently stroking his hair as the voice whispered to him that he was okay. Only when the soothing, rich scent of an omega’s calming pheromones reached his nose did he realise the figure was Oikawa, whose room was only next door.

“It’s okay Kou-chan. I’ve got you. You’re okay,” he cooed over and over, holding Suga close as the silver-haired omega cried in his chest. Oikawa couldn’t have cared less about the wet patches Suga was leaving on his expensive night silks – all he cared about was Suga.

After what felt like a lifetime, Suga finally managed to calm down a little, so that his sobs were now quiet whimpers.

“I-I’m s-s-sor-rry,” he cried softly into Oikawa’s chest, feeling guilty for waking him.

Oikawa only tightened his arms around Suga, holding him closer. “Shh, don’t be sorry, Kou-chan.” It broke the omega prince’s heart to see his best friend so vulnerable and shaken up, and it was even worse to have him apologise for it. “Was… was it the same one as back then?” he then asked hesitantly, not wanting to make Suga feel worse, but needing to know what was causing his best friend so much distress.

When Suga nodded meekly against his chest, Oikawa’s heart dropped. He’d known Suga since they were twelve years old, and even then the boy had been plagued by this nightmare for nearly four years before Oikawa was there to hold him in the night. But in recent years, Suga had been able to sleep soundly. Oikawa knew it was a risk, bringing him back to Karasuno, but he hadn’t imagined this would happen again.

“I’m sorry, Kou-chan. This is my fault. You shouldn’t have come,” he confessed dejectedly, but Suga just shook his head and held on to the prince tighter.

They stayed like that for god knows how long, until Oikawa felt Suga relax and heard his breathing even out. He’d finally fallen back to sleep, but instead of leaving, Oikawa just settled down with him and held him as he, too, drifted off to sleep once more.

 

\- ∞ -

 

The next night, Suga couldn’t sleep.

It wasn’t because he wasn’t tired; far from it, actually. It was because he was scared. He was scared that once he fell asleep, he would relive the nightmare again.

Getting through the day had felt so much harder than it had been for a long time. He managed to put on a brave face and wear a smile when he, Oikawa and Iwaizumi met with Daichi for breakfast, and even again when he bumped into Daichi later on in the day and ended up talking with him on the way to the library. But the whole day, Suga wasn’t himself.

The thing that worried him the most about it was that he and Daichi had been getting closer over the past week, and he feared the alpha prince would notice something was off. Suga didn’t want to have to lie – not to Daichi – but he also didn’t want to have to talk about it. Thankfully, when they parted at the library doors, Daichi bid him farewell without asking any questions.

Now, hours later and in the dead of night, Suga was still awake.

After hours of tossing and turning and deliberating, Suga gave up with a huff. Pushing himself up out of his bed, he pulled on a robe and left the constraints of his room.

For a while, he walked around the eerily quiet castle with no purpose or direction. Occasionally, he’d pass a guard on night shift, but none tried to stop his late-night stroll. He continued like that, losing track of both time and direction, until he found himself at one of the doors to the castle’s flower garden.

Suga had always loved flowers; their beauty was always so calming and their sweet, fresh fragrances did wonders to rid him from any bad thoughts.

He walked for only a short while before finding a marble bench beneath a magnificent magnolia tree where, despite the late night and lack of light, some of the budding blossom’s scent could be detected. Inhaling deeply, Suga closed his eyes and let his mind go numb, the brisk breeze easily seeping through his clothes though he did not find it uncomfortable.

How long he sat there, he didn’t know. But he was roused from his peaceful stupor when he heard a rustling a short distance away. Instantly, his eyes snapped open and he looked in the direction the sound had come from, only to be met with the last gaze he would have expected out here at this time of night.

“Suga? What are you doing out here?” asked Karasuno’s prince, his brows knit with concern. “Is everything alright?” Daichi closed the distance by taking a seat next to Suga on the bench. His movements were heavy and sluggish, like he was exhausted. Knowing the schedule of meetings Daichi had mentioned earlier in the day, Suga supposed he probably was.

“I could ask you the same, Daichi,” Suga answered wearily, facing looking up at the stars to avoid Daichi’s curious, captivating eyes.

Daichi huffed out a slight chuckle. “Touché. Actually, I’ve only just finished with my last meeting of the night,” Daichi admitted, stifling a yawn right after.

This time, Suga did look at him, eyes wide. “But it’s so late! That can’t be healthy, Daichi,” he scolded, his voice laced with concern and his own worries temporarily forgotten.

“Says the one sat out here in the cold in just night clothes and a dressing gown,” Daichi pointed out with a slight smirk, bumping his shoulder against Suga’s. “I spilled. Now it’s your turn.”

Suga gulped and looked down at his feet. He was quiet for so long that Daichi thought he wasn’t going to say anything, but then he took a deep breath. “Nightmares.”

Daichi didn’t say anything, and Suga’s curiosity got the better of him, making him lift his head to look at the prince.

Daichi’s expression was serious but gentle all at once, which Suga hadn’t been aware was possible until now. “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked quietly. Suga was enamoured by how sensitive Daichi was being, especially considering Suga hadn’t mentioned a word about what his nightmares were about. It was a completely different side of Daichi to the regal alpha prince he’d seen in passing this past week. It almost made him want to trust Daichi and confess everything to him. Almost.

Alas, Suga wasn’t ready to talk about it. Not yet. He especially didn’t want to scare Daichi off, not that there was ever a chance for him to get close enough. So in response, Suga shook his head.

Then, he was suddenly surrounded by warmth; Daichi had removed his coat and draped it over Suga’s shoulders. It was so thoughtful that Suga wanted to cry. Instead, he made the bold move to lean his head on the prince’s shoulder and let himself bask in the comfort he provided.

“Thank you Daichi,” he whispered, and since Daichi didn’t flinch away from his closeness, he relaxed even more.

 

\- ∞ -

 

They sat there so long that the sky began to reveal the first traces of sunrise. Suga, however, failed to see this because at some point in their comfortable silence, he’d drifted off to a peaceful, dreamless sleep, still leaning against the prince.

Daichi hadn’t the heart to wake him up, but the alpha needed sleep and didn’t look forward to the prospect of falling asleep on the bench and waking up in the mud behind them. So, as carefully as he could manage, Daichi gathered the sleeping omega in his arms and carried him bridal style back into the castle.

He stopped off at a guard to ask where Suga’s room was, then proceeded to reject the guard’s offer to take Suga instead and continued on to the guest wing.

Once sure he had the right room, Daichi carefully laid Suga down on the bed and pulled the duvet over his sleeping form, leaving the coat with him for fear of waking him when trying to unravel it from him.

Taking one last longing look at the angelic sleeping form, Daichi left and made his way over to his own room.

As he prepared himself for bed, Daichi’s mind wandered back to thoughts of Suga. It was strange, he thought, that he felt so strongly for and about this man after knowing him for such a short amount of time. Daichi had never felt this way before; sure, he was an innately empathetic guy, but it physically hurt him to see Suga so dejected. He hadn’t mentioned it to the omega, but he’d noticed Suga wasn’t himself all day. When his only explanation was ‘nightmares’, Daichi didn’t press for more, knowing these must have been some serious nightmares to have such a profound effect. Even so, something inside him was irked by his lack of knowledge. Something in him begged to know what was hurting the omega so he could protect him. Of course, Daichi wasn’t so archaic as to think Suga wasn’t perfectly capable of protecting himself – hell, the guy had even threatened Daichi when they first met! – but the instinct was still undeniably there. He wanted to know everything about him, know all his deepest darkest thoughts and secrets, and share his own. He knew he had to act fast, though, considering his father’s overshadowing threat. Suga was an unknown to Daichi, a possibility that he wanted to discover. One he was not prepared to let go of without a fight.

 

\- ∞ -

 

When Suga awoke, he was in his bed. _How did I get here?_ he thought groggily as he sat up.

That was when he remembered being in the flower garden, and… _Daichi._

The alpha’s scent invaded his nose, and he looked down to find the source of the scent to be an unfamiliar heavy fur coat wrapped around him that was slightly too big to fit normally.

The fact that he’d fallen asleep while leaning against the prince, wrapped in his coat, dawned on Suga and he groaned in embarrassment. What was Daichi going to think? Suga didn’t even want to go down that train of thought. He just silently begged that no-one else would find out.

Deciding his best course of action was to continue as if nothing had happened, Suga left his bed and headed for the shower in his en-suite bathroom. He let the warm water wash away his exhaustion as best it could, and he hoped the lavender-scented body wash would mask the still-lingering alpha’s scent; no way was he going to walk around the castle smelling of the prince! They weren’t even courting, let alone married! Rumours would surely spread, and the last thing Suga wanted was to cause a scandal here.

Once he was certain he was completely clean, Suga dried off and dressed for the day, bundling the coat up and stuffing it under his bed for the time being. He knew he couldn’t keep it, though. Daichi may have many coats, but what if that was his favourite? Or what if it was one-of-a-kind?

No, he had a mission: return Daichi’s coat without raising suspicion.

 _Easier said than done_ , he thought, knowing just how many guards and staff there were in the castle, not to mention Oikawa and other visiting nobility. It would be darn near impossible to get to Daichi without being seen, so he could only hope he could look casual, walking around with a coat in his arms.

That was the other problem. He might be walking around for a while, seeing as he didn’t know where Daichi’s bedchambers were. Sure, Suga was hesitant to wander to the prince’s most private part of the castle, but it was the only way for him to be able to give the coat back in private.

It took a couple of days to build up the courage to actually attempt his near-impossible task, but the day had come, and he was ready.

 _Deep breaths, Suga. You can do this,_ he told himself to pump him up. He quickly checked the time and saw it was too early for breakfast, so it was the perfect time. It was now or never.

Bundling the coat up in his arms, he headed out with his head held high. His theory was that if he looked confident, like he was walking with purpose, he was less likely to be stopped on the way. He made it out of the guest wing with ease, passing only one cleaner who was dusting off the portraits in the corridor. _Step one complete,_ he thought triumphantly, carrying onwards.

The good thing was that he knew the general direction of the royal bedchambers, since it was pointed out by an energetic black-and-white haired guard on his second day when Oikawa arranged a tour for him. Unfortunately, he also distinctly remembered that it was out of bounds except for with explicit permission from the king, queen or prince. Reaching the start of the corridor, Suga knew he was just going to have to take that risk.

There were two guards blocking the way to the rest of the corridor, stood as sentries ready to halt any wanderers who dared to try and pass.

Suga hid behind a large gold vase, crouching down and scoping out the area, trying to come up with a plan. If he tried to tackle them head-on, he would no-doubt be thrown in the dungeons; one, he could take, but two of them against just him would not end well. That meant he needed to think of a distraction.

Just his luck, the vase he was crouched behind was filled with multi-coloured glass pebbles surrounding the shrub it contained. Gathering up a handful, he took one pebble and threw it as hard as he could in the direction of the corridor to the other side of the one he was hiding in.

Peering over the side of the vase, he saw that it got the guards’ attention, though unluckily only one left his station to investigate.

Cursing under his breath, Suga had to think, and quick. Would throwing another pebble get the other guard’s attention? Or would it alert them of his hiding spot?

The only option was to throw a pebble down the corridor he was hiding in and hope the other guard came to investigate without spotting him.

Taking a deep breath, Suga lobbed another pebble, this time close to where he was.

He waited with bated breath, until footsteps approached… and passed. The guard had his back to him! The other guard was still down the other corridor, so Suga took the opportunity to soundlessly slip away and down the restricted corridor. _Step two complete._ He did think it worth mentioning to Daichi that he ought to get some slightly more intelligent guards, though.

He was now at the last hurdle, which was locating Daichi’s room. This could potentially be the riskiest part of his endeavour, considering if he chose incorrectly, he would be intruding in the king and queen’s bedchambers. Suga reckoned nothing Oikawa could say would be able to stop them for giving Suga a life-sentence for that.

The corridor was vast despite there only being three royals, two of which shared a room. Suga thought it likely that the castle was built hundreds of years ago when it was common for people, especially royals, to have many children to guarantee the preservation of the bloodline. Therefore, there were far more rooms than necessary.

Suga began to panic, thinking there was no way he’d be able to find the right room quickly enough before either he was caught, or he woke up the king and queen. Then it dawned on him: he could locate Daichi by scent! Well, theoretically speaking – he had no idea how big those rooms were, and his plan relied on actually being able to smell his scent through the door. It was worth a try, though, seeing as it was his only option other than looking in to all rooms.

Giving the coat a quick sniff to familiarise himself with the scent, he went ahead to quickly and quietly stop and sniff outside each door. One of the earlier doors was the first and only to actually have a scent, but it wasn’t Daichi’s. Suga could only assume that was the king and queen’s room, so he made sure to creep by extra quietly. It wasn’t until he had reached the end of the corridor that he picked up on the scent. Of course the prince would want the room at the far end of the corridor, furthest away from his parents’. Suga should have known.

Once he reached the door where the scent was strongest, he took one more deep breath, then tapped lightly on the door.

He only hoped Daichi would hear.

 

\- ∞ -

 

The morning sun was not welcome to Daichi’s sleep-deprived eyes. He tried to shield them with his forearm as he groaned and rolled over on the bed, but it was to no avail; he’d forgotten to close the curtains last night, and thus the room was drenched in the early morning glow.

Daichi had been hardly able to sleep the past few nights, his mind whirring about oh so many things even once he’d laid down in his bed. He absolutely didn’t blame Suga for keeping him up that first night, though. Not in the slightest. He would have sat outside with the silver-haired man all night and day if he’d wanted to. It had left him with a lot to think about, though. However, he’d had some time to think, and finally had made a decision. One that could end up being the greatest decision ever, or the worst. He hoped for the former, though. His last thought before he’d drifted into yet another restless slumber was his decision: he was going to ask to court Suga.

Now it was just a matter of figuring out how to ask him.

In that moment, Daichi was torn away from his thoughts by the sound of a few soft knocks on his bedroom door, so soft that he’d nearly missed them. He furrowed his brows in confusion; who could possibly be knocking on his door without announcing themselves? Any messengers or servants would knock twice and announce their purpose – that was the rule. And if it were Kuroo or even Asahi, they would have just walked in.

After a long pause, the knocks came again. Daichi realised that whoever it was wasn’t going to barge in, so he begrudgingly pulled himself out of his bed and over to the door. He was wary, though, in case it was an attacker lulling him into a false sense of security. He slowly turned the door handle and only opened the door wide enough for him to see who it was. When he did, his hear stopped.

“Suga?!” he whisper-exclaimed, not wanting to alert anyone. Suga was not meant to be here, which meant he could get in trouble, so Daichi swung the door the rest of the way open, pulled Suga in and shut the door behind them in what seemed like one swift motion. “What are you doing here? How did you even get here?” he asked in a flurry. In his shock and amazement, he hadn’t realised how close they were standing, or that he still had one hand wrapped around Suga’s arm. As soon as he did, he immediately dropped his arm and took a step back.

“U-um, yes, well… I thought I’d return your coat,” Suga answered, averting his gaze.

That was when Daichi realised he wasn’t wearing a shirt.

“Oh… thank you, but you didn’t need to come all the way here to do that,” he said while trying to act nonchalant as he turned away to grab a robe and cover himself properly. “How did you even get this far, anyway?” he asked, now genuinely curious.

Suga looked incredibly sheepish as he lifted his head to look at Daichi properly, a small apologetic smile on his lips. “I may have caused a little distraction for your guards,” he confessed. “In my defence, you need smarter guards. All I did was throw stones down the nearby corridors! The rest was easy!” he added, even sounding a little bit exasperated.

Daichi couldn’t help but chuckle at Suga’s method of reaching him, though in his mind he also agreed he’d have to speak with his father about changing their guards. “That seems like quite the effort to drop off a coat,” Daichi said once he’d stopped laughing.

Suga’s response was a pout, though Daichi knew he wasn’t serious. “I didn’t want Oikawa to see your coat in my room and interrogate me like a criminal,” was what he told Daichi with a shrug, though of course that wasn’t the whole reason. “I’ve left it too long so the chances of him seeing it were increasing.”

“You do make a good point,” Daichi agreed with a fond chuckle, knowing how curious Aobajousai’s prince could get. “Well, thank you for the effort, and for returning my coat.”

There was a pause, the silence prominent but not suffocating. Then, Suga spoke, his voice quiet and genuine.

“Thank you, for staying with me that night. And for understanding.” He could barely look Daichi in the eye, but he made the effort to properly show his gratitude.

Daichi was a little taken aback, Suga’s soft tone very different from his usual chipper self. He took a step forward, hoping to not make him uncomfortable, and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Suga, you needn’t thank me, okay? Just, promise you’ll come and talk to me if you need to,” he said, matching Suga’s soft tone. After a pause, Suga nodded and averted his eyes, but Daichi smiled. “Great. I’ll make sure the guards here know to let you pass so you don’t need to illegally sneak in,” he teased, bringing a smile back to Suga’s lips.

“Good. I don’t want a criminal record,” he replied back with a bigger smile. “Sorry for intruding this time, though. I’ll go now.” Suga made to open the door to leave, but Daichi wasn’t done.

_Now or never, Daichi. Now or never._

“Wait!” he called, making Suga freeze then turn back. “Um, the thing is… would you like to go for a walk in the main gardens with me later. Say, two PM?”

Suga seemed surprised, but not displeased, by the question, his eyebrows raised before he regained his composure. “That would be lovely, yes,” he replied, the corners of his lips curving up into a shy smile.

Daichi, on the other hand, was grinning hugely. “Great! I’ll meet you by the library so I can show you the best entrance to the garden,” he said excitedly.

Suga nodded and replied, “I’ll see you there, then,” before he finally left Daichi’s room.

Elated. That was all Daichi could say to describe how he felt. Elated.

His father might not have to intervene after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um... better late than never? Hey, in some parts of the world it's still Friday! Just...not here XD  
> Hope you enjoyed this one! Sneak peek into Suga's backstory and whatnot. Next chapter is probably my fave so far so look forward to that! (gosh I better get writing I'm still on Ch5!)  
> Also if anyone's still in exam season, good luck!!  
> SEE YA NEXT FRIDAY!!


	4. Let's Descend Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title song - The Flower Duet, Lakmé (English lyric translation)

However Suga thought his morning was going to go, it wasn’t that.

For starters, it had taken all of his willpower not to stare at Daichi’s washboard abs and perfectly tanned, golden chest when he’d pulled him into his room. Thankfully, the prince saw fit to cover up, but not before that image was ingrained in Suga’s head for the unforeseeable future -  his beautiful body accompanied by scruffy bed-head.

Then there was the fact that Daichi had asked him if he wanted to go for a walk later. What did he mean by that? Was it… a date? But princes didn’t go on dates! Especially not with people like Suga! That’s what Suga thought, anyway.

In a somewhat dazed manner, he made his way back to his room. The guards seemed mildly perplexed as he passed them, but there was nothing they could do about someone _leaving_ the royal quarters. Suga did hope that they were professional enough not to mention his presence, though. The rest of the way back, Suga was running on autopilot, his mind too preoccupied to focus on where his feet were taking him. Thankfully, he got back to his room with ease, but when he opened the door, he was snapped out of his daze.

“Went for an early morning stroll, I presume?” Oikawa smirked like he didn’t believe his own words for a second. The omega prince was lounging on Suga’s bed, a book open in front of him like he’d been passing the time by flicking through it.

Suga sighed as he came in, trying to appear casual, but of course Oikawa would see right through him. “How long have you been in here, anyway?” Suga asked instead, avoiding the question.

“Oh, you know, a while,” he replied vaguely, pushing himself up to sit upright on Suga’s bed. “Are you going to tell me why you look like a lovesick puppy, or are we going to have to do this the hard way?” Suga didn’t like the mischievous grin Oikawa was now wearing.

“I do not look like that!” he defended, crossing his arms and half-heartedly scowling at Oikawa. He knew, however, that the ‘hard way’ meant Oikawa pouncing on Suga and tickling him until Suga finally blurted the answer because they’d been through that routine a few too many times before.

Knowing that he couldn’t keep a secret from Oikawa for long, he decided to just get it over with. “Okay, okay. I couldn’t sleep the other night, so I went for a walk and ended up sitting in the flower garden. Then… then Daichi found me and sat with me, and I got cold so he gave me his coat,” he explained, his blush progressively growing darker. “Then I must have fallen asleep because I woke up in bed with his coat, so this morning I went to return it. That’s it,” he finished, watching Oikawa’s knowing smirk not once falter.

“And?” Oikawa urged, seeing that Suga was withholding something. Unluckily for Suga, Oikawa could read him like a book.

With a defeated sigh, Suga confessed. “And then Daichi asked me to meet him at two PM to go for a walk around the gardens.”

Oikawa practically squealed, jumping up off the bed and wrapping an arm around Suga, ruffling his hair affectionately. “He totally likes you!” he exclaimed while Suga tried his best to pull out of Oikawa’s’ arms.

“Wait, what are you talking about? He’s a _prince!”_ Suga emphasised, finally pulling free. “And I’m… not. Hell, I _work_ for you. No way is he interested in a commoner like me.”

Oikawa scoffed in exasperation. “You know, for being the smartest person I know, you really are the stupidest person I know.” Oikawa moved closer again to fix Suga’s now-messy hair for him, pulling him to sit on the edge of the bed as he did so. “Daichi doesn’t care about status – never has. You know that whole birthday festival was actually the king’s way of trying to get Daichi to choose a mate? He rejected everyone, rich and poor, alpha, beta and omega, because he wants to be with someone he _likes._ Someone he connects with. He told me that himself,” Oikawa explained.

Suga was baffled by this new information. Daichi was meant to be meeting with possible suitors? So why did he spend so long helping Suga find Natsu’s brother?

“Kou-chan, I can practically hear your thoughts,” Oikawa said with a chuckle. “He spent time with you, and still wants to spend more with you, because he is obviously someone who finally sees you the way I’ve always seen you – a beautiful, intelligent, compassionate human being.”

“But… but he doesn’t know me very well. I don’t know _him_ very well,” Suga argued, in denial that his attraction to Daichi might actually go both ways.

“The get to know him!” Oikawa exclaimed like it was obvious, which it really was. “Tell him about yourself. Ask him questions! He may be a prince but he’s human too! You’ve never been intimidated by my status, so don’t let his intimidate you now.”

Suga had to admit, Oikawa made some fair points. Maybe it was because Suga was only twelve when he met Oikawa, but he never let the fact he was a prince get in the way of their friendship. The only reason Suga actually worked as Oikawa’s personal assistant was so Oikawa could let him live the life of luxury he deserved. That, and there was no-one Oikawa trusted more with his personal affairs than Suga. He’d grown up with Oikawa as an equal, so shouldn’t he see himself as an equal to Daichi, prince or not? Alpha or not?

“Okay, Tooru. But if you’re wrong and I make a complete fool of myself, I’m going straight back to Aobajousai with or without you.” He considered that a fair deal for the risk he would be taking by potentially revealing his interest in Daichi.

“Perfect! And don’t worry, my instincts tell me you’ll be here for quite a while,” Oikawa said with a grin, getting up now that Suga’s hair was back to normal with an extra few small braids here and there.

Soon after, Oikawa had to leave because he had another meeting to attend to. Since it was so early, the two princes would be eating breakfast with the king while the discussions commenced, so Suga joined the others – most of whom were visiting nobles or off-duty palace guards – in the dining room for breakfast, meeting Iwaizumi on the way. Today, Suga wasn’t in the mood to keep up polite conversation with anyone, so he sat at the end of a table, Iwaizumi beside him chattering with one of the younger guards that Suga vaguely recognised as the one who had given him a tour at the beginning of his stay.

“…been so long! What if he forgot about me?” the guard whined to Iwaizumi, whose face was as stoic as ever, though he seemed to somehow appear comfortable with the guard whinging at him.

“Still moping around about Akaashi, Bo?” a voice asked, and Suga tuned in enough to look up at the source of the new voice.

A tall, athletically built guard with jet black hair in a style Suga could only describe as an organised mess had joined them, pulling out the chair opposite Iwaizumi to take a seat while balancing a plate piled full of food in his other hand. Suga thought he recognised him from somewhere, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. In his defence, he’d seen a lot of new people recently, so any he didn’t see frequently were harder to place.

“But Kuroo! It’s been like two weeks or something and I still haven’t found a way to see him!” the other guard replied, hanging his head, displaying more clearly his spiked-up two-toned hair.

The guard – Kuroo – sighed sympathetically. “Bokuto, listen. I’m sure if you spoke to Dai he’d help you figure something out. He said he would, didn’t he?”

A bit of spark returned to the spikey-haired guard, Bokuto’s eyes. But before he could say anything, Suga’s mouth moved before his mind could catch up.

“Dai?” he blurted, confused. “Do you mean… Prince Daichi?” How were these guards able to speak so informally about the prince? Of course, Suga knew Daichi preferred to just go by his first name, but weren’t these two taking it a bit far?

That was when Kuroo turned to him, studying him like a cat deciphering if he was friend or foe. That was, of course, until something that looked an awful lot like recognition flashed across his face and a sly grin crept up instead.

“I remember you,” he began, his tone mellow but interested. “You were with Daichi at the festival. What did he call you? Sugawara-san, was it?”

Suga tried to hide his embarrassment by sitting up straighter and facing Kuroo confidently – he wasn’t going to shy away, especially while he was surrounded by alphas. “Yep, that’s me. Sugawara’s right, but everyone calls me Suga,” he greeted with his brightest smile. Now that Kuroo had mentioned it, Suga remembered where he’d seen him before. “You’re the guard that called Daichi ‘bro’ before dragging him away.”

Kuroo hadn’t expected that reply and chuckled a little nervously. “Ah, yeah. Not really meant to call him that when there’s guests around,” he said with a shrug. “Kuroo Tetsurou, Daichi’s best friend and right-hand man. Nice to meet you, Suga-san,” he then introduced himself with a lopsided grin. At least it made sense now how he was able to get away with being so informal with and about the prince. “That love-sick sap there is my buddy, Bokuto Kotarou, also a friend of Daichi’s.”

Upon hearing his name, Bokuto brightened up a bit and gave Suga a wave, to which he responded by smiling at him too.

“So what brings you to the castle, Suga-san?” Kuroo then asked before proceeding to shovel as much food as possible into his mouth.

With an amused giggle, Suga responded, “Just Suga’s fine, you know. And I’m here with Prince Oikawa and his court mate, Iwaizumi-san here,” he indicated to the alpha beside him, who gave a nod, “since I’m Prince Oikawa’s personal assistant and closest friend.”

Kuroo, with a mouth so full he could barely chew, hummed in understanding.

Since Kuroo was a bit… orally incapacitated for the moment, Bokuto stepped in to keep the conversation going. “Prince Oikawa’s good friends with Daichi and has visited a lot. How come I’ve never seen you before?” he asked. In no way was he being rude or interrogating Suga; he was genuinely curious.

Suga cast his eyes away, fixating on the silverware in his hands. “I, um… Karasuno…” He was struggling to find the words to say, feeling the pressure build in his chest; he couldn’t explain it to these people. Explain that he was scared. Explain what had happened the last time he was in this kingdom.

Iwaizumi, knowing fragments through Oikawa, noticed Suga’s struggle and stepped in. “That’s none of your business,” he nearly growled defensively; Oikawa treasured Suga, so by default Iwaizumi felt protective of him, whether he showed it or not. Not that he would ever admit it.

Suga, having regained his wits, took a deep breath and placed a gentle hand on Iwaizumi’s forearm. “That’s okay, Iwaizumi-san,” he said gently to the alpha, his tone grateful nonetheless. He then turned back to the two confused, mildly offended guards, flashing them his nervous smile. “It’s a sensitive subject, but this time I felt ready to come,” he explained vaguely, not knowing that his expression gave away just how uncomfortable the topic made him and Kuroo could sense the pain behind his forced smile.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t know,” Bokuto blurted apologetically, but Suga waved the apology away.

“Don’t mind! Don’t mind! I’m not mad!”

Kuroo, deciding a change in mood was needed, smiled back at Suga, this time with a real, genuine smile. “Well I hope you’re comfortable and are enjoying your time here,” he said kindly. “And don’t be a stranger if you see either of us around!”

Suga nodded enthusiastically and smiled brightly once again.

Maybe, just maybe, he’d made his first friends besides Daichi in the castle. The thought of that made his morning ten times better, and he was actually a little disappointed when breakfast ended and they all parted ways.

After that, Suga spent most of his free time in the library, letting the books take his mind off things. He had a particular fascination in history, and since he knew a lot about Aobajousai’s history but not much on Karasuno’s, he spent his time expanding his knowledge in that area. It saddened him that, as recent as 150 years ago, the nations were at war, with kingdoms fighting each other and making alliances to turn the tides of the wars. The alliance between Karasuno and Aobajousai, however, had existed long before those times, and has carried on to this day, revealing the loyalty of the two kingdoms. Suga discovered that Karasuno also has a couple other alliances, one with the kingdom of Nekoma and one with the kingdom of Fukurodani. But where there is happiness, prosperity and friendship, there is always conflict, jealousy and greed, thus there are other kingdoms that envy Karasuno and its network of allies. The texts on this were vague and hard to find, and Suga wondered if there was a reason such information wasn’t kept in the main library.

He couldn’t dwell on it too much, though, because while he was lost in his trail of thoughts he hadn’t notices the library door open.

“When I said to meet by the library, I didn’t mean actually _in_ the library.”

Suga practically jumped out of his skin, or at least out of his chair, dropping the book his nose had been buried in with a small yelp.

Daichi had crept up on him and was leaning against the bookshelf behind Suga, a look of amusement on his face.

“Are you _trying_ to kill me?” Suga exclaimed, stooping down to pick up the book and replace it on the shelf whilst simultaneously trying to calm the sporadic beating of his heart.

The prince chuckled and shook his head. “I can’t say that was on my to-do list, no,” he replied and Suga rolled his eyes at him once the omega had turned to face him again.

“Well good, because otherwise I would have had to end you before you got the chance,” he taunted with a cheeky grin that unknowingly made Daichi’s heart skip a beat.

“Pretty sure threatening the prince is a criminal offense,” Daichi pointed out with a shrug after recovering from his heart palpitations, but his smile revealed just how much his statement lacked seriousness.

At that, Suga chuckled. “Go ahead and arrest me then,” he teased, baring his wrists as though expecting handcuffs. “Of course, you’ll have to endure the wrath of Prince Oikawa,” he then mused. He studied Daichi carefully, trying to make out his reaction.

Meanwhile, Daichi was a little preoccupied in actively attempting to keep at bay the images that came to his mind at Suga’s joke of getting handcuffed.

He cleared his throat with a couch and rubbed the back of his neck. “Ah, well, wouldn’t want that, would I?” he asked rhetorically, but Suga still triumphantly shook his head in response. “So, um, shall we?” Daichi held out his elbow for Suga, who nodded and took hold of the offered arm.

“I believe we shall,” Suga confirmed.

With that, the two vacated the library and headed out, Suga allowing Daichi to lead him down the corridors he was still getting accustomed to.

“Suga-san – sorry, Suga – do you like flowers?” Daichi asked as they took a turn into an area on the second floor that Suga was unfamiliar with. He was about to query the question but Daichi explained before he could. “I only ask because that night I found you in the flower garden. You seemed relaxed, of sorts, despite your reason for being there.”

Suga was surprised by Daichi’s perceptiveness, but once he was over the surprise he gave Daichi a soft smile. “I guess you could say I’m quite partial to flowers, yes,” he replied, once again focusing his eyes forward to watch where they were going. They seemed to be nearing their destination, though, as Daichi’s pace slowed a little. “I find their scents calming, particularly when they mask other… more aversive scents.”

Daichi nodded in understanding, or at least in acknowledgement of Suga’s answer – he wasn’t sure which. “I can see that,” was all he said in response, though, seeming to be lost in his thoughts.

Shortly after, Daichi brought them to a stop outside a door.

The door was simple, discrete, and would have been easily overlooked had you not known it was there, particularly as the colour matched the deep ruby of the walls in this particular corridor.

“Welcome to my favourite entrance to the gardens,” Daichi proclaimed, lowering his voice as though not to be heard by any passers-by.

Suga must have been wearing quite the expression in his puzzlement, because Daichi chuckled before turning the small brass handle and pushing the door open.

Still perplexed, Suga followed him in, only seeing Daichi’s back as the room was bathed in darkness. That was, of course, until Daichi turned on the light.

Suga didn’t know what he had expected, but even so, he was quite underwhelmed.

“I don’t mean to imply you’re delusional, Daichi,” he began as he looked around to fully take in the space, “but this appears to be a storage room.”

With a breathy chuckle, Daichi shook his head and, as though absentmindedly, took hold of Suga’s hand. “Just you wait,” he replied and guided Suga to the back, behind some shelves of dust-coated books and forgotten ornaments.

It was then that Suga noticed another door, this one with a heavy dark violet velvet curtain over it. When Daichi pulled the curtain aside, natural light flooded through a thin glass panel in the door, and Suga’s anticipation returned, knowing the surprise was still to come.

Daichi pulled a thin velvet cord from his pocket, the end of which was tied to a small key. Placing the key in the lock and turning until there was an audible _click_ , Daichi looked over at Suga again.

Wordlessly, he pulled the door open and stepped aside, allowing the omega access to the open doorway.

What Suga saw was… _breathtaking._

Stepping through the doorway, he stood on a small balcony, the metal structures of which were decorated by twists and coils of ivy and small white flowers peppered throughout. But what really caught his attention was the _view_.

From where he stood, he could see the vast majority of the garden, and even though the flower garden was further away, there were still plenty of flowers dotted all throughout, the winter-blooming blossoms adding splashes of colour to the already picturesque landscape. Pale pinks, tempered purples and dusky reds brought life to the gardens, and even ‘beautiful’ could not do it justice.

“Wow,” Suga breathed, mesmerised by the view. He hadn’t even noticed Daichi join him at his side.

“Yeah,” was all the prince supplied. He’d always loved this view; whenever he’d found himself getting too stressed out or angry, he would come and stand out on the balcony until he calmed, letting it rejuvenate him. Now, though, he watched as a look of wonder overtook Suga’s face, his warm, rich chestnut eyes widening in awe. Daichi couldn’t help but think he may have found a new favourite view.

After letting Suga gaze at the surroundings for a while longer, Daichi held his arm out again. “Come on, let’s go for a walk,” he invited, directing Suga’s attention to the winding stairway attached to the balcony for easy access to the grounds.

Suga nodded, still in awe of the view from that vantage point, and took Daichi’s outstretched arm before they descended the steps together.

“I see why that’s your favourite way to the garden now,” Suga said once they started down a pebbled path.

“Yeah, it’s crazy, the things a kid can find when they explore,” Daichi replied, recalling how he’d found it one day as a child when he’d gotten bored and decided to adventure around the castle.

Suga couldn’t stop himself from giggling, a memory springing to mind at Daichi’s words. “I’ll say. You don’t even want to know what I found in Oikawa’s palace.” Without saying any more, he left that up to Daichi’s imagination to fill the blanks.

They carried on walking around at a slow, leisurely pace, talking about all sorts of things. Daichi told Suga all about his adventures growing up, some of which included Oikawa. Suga told Daichi about his love of both art and swordsmanship, a fact that made Daichi internally swoon even more considering his own appreciation for both. They learned more and more about each other, and as they did, Suga felt the small warmth in his chest grow larger. Things just felt so comfortable with Daichi. He was so easy to talk to, and Suga could listen to the prince talk in return for hours. Still, he had his doubts about Daichi’s motives. There was always the constant nagging in the back of his head that said Daichi was way too far out of his league, that Daichi would never like him. Not like that.

Eventually, they paused to rest on a bench much like the one from their last outdoor-meeting. Suga didn’t hesitate to lean into the warmth of the alpha beside him, especially as the daylight had begun to fade and the air was getting colder.

“Hey, Daichi,” he began softly when a thought came to mind. “Did you ever get lonely, growing up in such a big castle with no siblings?” he asked, absentmindedly leaning his head against Daichi’s shoulder.

Daichi paused for a moment to think; it wasn’t something he’d really dwelled on in the past, though he couldn’t deny he did wish he’d had some siblings. “I don’t really know,” he replied honestly. “I mean, I got bored a lot, but I also saw Oikawa fairly often, and I played with Kuroo a lot. But I guess it does get a little lonely if you stop and think about it. In my older years even to now I’ve been so busy that I hadn’t thought about it.” Maybe that was why his father was so adamant on him getting a mate – so he wouldn’t be lonely. Having his friends around was a big help to prevent that, though.

Not that he would protest a little more company. Especially if that company was Suga.

 _No, I’m getting ahead of myself,_ Daichi thought to himself when that idea popped into his head.

Suga hummed in acknowledgement and sighed. He was about to say something more until he heard the rustling of leaves like someone was approaching. Quickly, he sat upright and put more distance between him and Daichi, not wanting to cause trouble.

“Daichi?” a girl’s voice called from not far at all. “Is that you?”

Indeed, moments later, a girl appeared on the path in front of them, smiling brightly.

She was bundled up in a big fur coat, her pale cheeks and nose turned pink from the cold air. Her dark chocolate hair was styled in a cute pixie cut, and her eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Daichi! It’s been too long!” she exclaimed, grinning at the prince. It was almost as if she couldn’t see that Suga was there.

Out of respect, Daichi stood, smiling back. “Yui, it’s good to see you,” he said while still smiling, but Suga could sense a nervous energy around him. “But… not to be rude or anything like that, but why are you here?” The _‘you’re interrupting something’_ remained unsaid, though Daichi had hoped it was implied.

Yui just giggled and bumped her shoulder with Daichi’s. “I wanted to see you, silly!” She said it like it was the most obvious thing ever. Daichi couldn’t wrap his head around why she was acting so strangely and completely not herself.

Meanwhile, Suga was getting uncomfortable, feeling like he was intruding on something, especially when Yui took hold of one of Daichi’s arms like he had only moments ago.

“Sorry, I’ll, ah… pardon my intrusion. I guess I’ll be going now,” he stammered as his mind was filled with a million thoughts at once, one being a deep instinct that made him… jealous? No, that couldn’t be right. He had no reason for that – it wasn’t like Daichi was his.

He stood, bowed quickly, and turned on his heel, speedily making his way down a path he could only hope would lead him back into the castle so he could get to his bed, curl up into a ball and forget about stupid Daichi and his stupid, sexy everything.

“Suga, wait!” Daichi called, trying to step towards the fleeing omega, but he was too late. Sighing and wiping a hand over his face, he turned back to Yui. “What’s this all about, Yui?” he asked tiredly and, frankly, aggravatedly.

Then, it dawned on him. “My father set you up to this, didn’t he?” he asked wearily, a new wave of disappointment washing over him. He plopped back down onto the bench, awaiting a response.

Yui could never keep a secret from Daichi for long, so he didn’t have to wait much before she confessed. “You’re right. He said you were taking too long to find a mate and he wanted me to… speed the process along.” At least she seemed remorseful.

“I asked him for more time. That’s all I asked,” Daichi mumbled, more to himself than to Yui, but she heard easily nonetheless.

“I messed up, didn’t I?” she asked solemnly, taking a seat next to the prince.

Daichi sighed. “I know what influence my father has over your family. It’s not your fault. It’s just…” He paused, not knowing if he should say more. Confiding in Yui of all people seemed safe, though, and he was desperate to get his feelings off his chest at least once.

Yui, seemingly able to pick up on the atmosphere, made the first move. “Does it have something to do with that guy you were just with?” Her question was soft, kind and non-judgemental, which helped all the more in Daichi’s decision to tell her.

“Yeah,” he admitted, nodding. Even the thought of Suga brought a small smile to his lips, one that didn’t go unnoticed by Yui. “He’s Oikawa’s friend and… I don’t even know what to say. He’s just so perfect. But I don’t want to rush into things. Hell, I don’t even know if he likes me back! He’s just the most genuine, caring, amazing person I’ve met and my god is he gorgeous!” Daichi now had his head in his hands as he gushed about Suga.

Yui sat patiently, listening to Daichi’s words of praise about the man he’d called Suga. Sure, she was a little disappointed; she’d had quite the crush on Daichi in their teens. But seeing the expression the prince wore while talking about Suga made Yui realise something: Suga made Daichi happy. She’d not seen Daichi this energised in years, and that in itself made her content in conceding to the silver-haired omega.

“It sounds to me,” she began when Daichi had taken a break in speaking, “like he could be someone very special to you.” Daichi nodded as she said that, confirming her suspicion. “So, you need to get up and go and confess how you feel to this Suga-san before your father sets you up again, or you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”

Her words were firm, inspirational, and admittedly even a little intimidating. But most importantly, she was right.

“Yeah. Yeah I need to tell him,” Daichi reaffirmed with a nod of his head, to which Yui grinned.

“I better be invited to the wedding!” she teased, nudging Daichi’s arm with her own and making Daichi’s cheeks turn crimson.

“I-we-it’s- it’s too early to be even thinking about that!” he spluttered, which only served to make Yui burst into a fit of laughter. The worst part was, knowing his father, it might not be as early as one would expect.

“You never change, do you Daichi?” she mused once she had calmed down. “Now, go get your man before somebody else does!”

On that note, the two parted ways and Daichi headed back to the castle, a new sense of determination in his stride.

 

\- ∞ -

 

Suga couldn’t help it. Once he got back to his room, he moped. He just flopped down on his bed and moped.

All his doubts, all his worries, all his feelings that he wasn’t good enough for Daichi returned and no amount of encouraging words from Oikawa could remedy it.

How could he compete? That girl, Yui, was pretty and feminine, and she seemed to know Daichi well… all things Suga lacked. Sure, he had some omegan curves, but he was relatively muscular, tall for an omega (though not as tall as Oikawa) and did not possess many of the qualities expected of an omega. It didn’t matter that Yui had the scent of a beta – he still felt he’d already lost.

Not only that, but the way she comfortably clung to Daichi’s arm made it obvious what she was aiming for. Who was Suga to try and stand in her way? He was still trying to work out his feelings, while she seemed confident and determined; Suga wasn’t going to get in the way of Daichi’s chance of happiness just because he _maybe_ likes him. At this point, his maybe wasn’t good enough.

He didn’t know how long he’d laid there, his face buried in a pillow to hide his embarrassment from no-one in particular, embarrassed because for a second he’d thought he had a chance. He was starting to get sleepy, even though it was still early evening and dinner was still yet to come, when he heard a knock at his door.

Confused and surprised, he lifted his head and frowned at the door. Who could that be? The only ones who knew this was his room were Iwaizumi, Oikawa and the maid that cleans is. The first two would knock once and barge in (yes, even Iwaizumi, especially when he vented about something Oikawa did that irritated him), and the latter only came in the mornings.

Still pondering over who it could be, Suga pushed himself off the bed just as the knocks started again.

“Suga? Are you in there?”

He froze, eyes wide in disbelief.

That voice… no way. No way was Daichi knocking at his door. It just wasn’t possible.

It took twice the effort to reach the door when he started moving again, his limbs heavy and his joints stiff as dread washed over him. Taking a deep breath to compose himself enough to put up a façade, he pulled open the door.

“Daichi, what a surprise,” he said with an overly cheerful tone, his smile so fake even the most oblivious of people would notice. “What brings yo-“

He was cut off because one second Daichi was in front of him, face flushed and panting slightly, and the next Daichi’s lips crashed into his own.

Suga stiffened up for a second, but just a second. Then, he melted into the kiss, kissing back just as feverishly. It was like they were dying men, and only each other’s lips could save them. Everything clicked into place. It felt so _right._ Being in Daichi’s arms, pressed up against his warm, sturdy chest, Suga felt safe. Safer than he’d felt in… well, ever, really.

Without parting, they moved more into Suga’s room, out of sight of any lurking eyes. One of Daichi’s large, calloused hands gently cupped the back of Suga’s neck while the other held his waist, keeping him close. Suga’s hands gripped the back of Daichi’s shirt, and they stayed like that until Suga desperately needed to breathe.

Their lips parted, both panting for air, faces flushed. But what stood out to Suga the most was the overjoyed yet nervous grin on Daichi’s face.

“Wow,” Suga breathed, the corners of his lips turning up into his own smile as the shock-factor wore off.

“Wow,” Daichi echoed, still holding Suga by the waist. “Is… is this okay?” he asked a little uncertainly, but seeing as Suga had yet to make an attempt to escape, he kind of already knew the answer.

Smile growing brighter, Suga nodded. “Very,” he replied, until his mind caught up to him. “Um… so, what does this mean?” he asked, his voice still quiet and breathless. His heart was racing, pounding so hard it was like it was trying to escape through his chest. If Daichi noticed, he didn’t say anything.

“It means,” Daichi replied, his voice also low, close to a whisper, “that I really like you, Suga. I’ve never met anyone quite like you. And- and I know you might think it’s all very sudden, but I can’t stop thinking about you. I haven’t since the day I met you.”

Suga felt the hot prickle of tears in his eyes before he could fight it. So many thoughts and emotions were running through him at once, and it was overwhelming. “R-really?” he asked, his voice wavering as he tried to stop the tears from spilling. “But- but what about that girl?”

Daichi gently moved a hand to wipe a stray tear from Suga’s cheek with his thumb, letting his palm rest on Suga’s cheek after. “Yui? She’s an old friend my father roped into trying to ‘seduce’ me,” he answered with a soft huff of laughter. “I promise you, she’s not my type.”

Suga, regaining some of his wits, smirked slightly, ignoring the dampness of his eyes. “Oh yeah? And what exactly is your type, hm?” he asked, letting his arms rest over Daichi’s shoulders, not daring to move away from him.

At that, Daichi smiled sheepishly. “I guess it would be strong, intelligent, caring and, well, male,” he confessed. After a brief pause, Daichi breathed deeply and steeled his resolve. “What I’m trying to say is, I’d like to court you, if you’ll let me. I haven’t got a gift yet but-”

“Yes,” Suga cut him off, grinning like a fool. “Yes, I’d like that very much,” he clarified.

Daichi’s eyes widened for a moment before his arms wrapped completely around Suga, pulling him into a hug. He physically deflated in relief, his nerves rapidly lessening.

“I’m so happy,” he muttered into Suga’s shoulder. “I was so nervous,” he then admitted, which inadvertently made Suga relax even more.

“Me too,” was all Suga could reply, the tears of joy now freely cascading down his cheeks as he hugged back, letting Daichi’s scent fill his nose and help him calm down. The scent of wood, freshly cut grass and something so distinctly _Daichi_ was so addictive and Suga decided he could never get enough of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! Suga's met some of the boys and his relationship with Dai is progressing!  
> I've almost finished writing chapter 5 which has some solid banter in it XD so the next update will be on time as usual!  
> SEE YA NEXT WEEK!
> 
> Kudos and comments are welcome! xx


	5. I've Got Something To Say

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title song: I've Got Something To Say - Reef  
> GUYS I'm so sorry this chapter is late!! I was travelling yesterday because I've moved back home for the summer, so I didn't have the time and by the time I got home I was too tired so I forgot! Well, better late than never!

The two stood in each other’s arms for as long as they could, neither one wanting to be the one to part from the other.

Then, there was another knock at the door and Suga had only a second to push Daichi away from him before Oikawa sauntered into his room.

“Kou-chan, you’ll never guess… Oh, Daichi. Fancy seeing you here.” Oikawa’s tone turned so sly as soon as he noticed that Suga wasn’t alone in his room.

Daichi turned instantly beet-red, his hand moving to rub the back of his neck almost guiltily. “Ah, well, I- you see,” he stammered, words failing him.

Suga was equally lost for words, avoiding Oikawa’s questioning gaze, instead finding the floor suddenly oh-so-interesting. He felt like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar, caught doing something he wasn’t meant to.

“I’m waiting,” Oikawa sang gleefully, crossing his arms and pointedly tapping his foot against the ground to feign impatience.

“Daichi asked to court me,” Suga blurted, not able to handle the pressure of Oikawa’s stare, mixed with his desperate need to say it out loud, fearing it wouldn’t be real if he didn’t.

There was a moment of silence, Suga’s words left out in the open for Oikawa to register. That was, of course, until Oikawa rushed over with glee, pulling Suga into a hug then a playful headlock.

“I knew it! What did I tell you, hm?”

“Tooru! Please!” Suga protested, though he was still grinning as he struggled against the taller man’s arms. “I yield! I yield!”

“Um, what exactly did you know, Oikawa?” Daichi asked in confusion as Oikawa let Suga go, the latter huffing before trying to straighten out his hair and clothes after Oikawa’s attack.

“Oh, my dear, oblivious Daichi. I knew you were smitten with my Koushi. You forget you wear your heart on your sleeve,” Oikawa explained, casually draping his arm over Daichi’s shoulders as he did.

“I- I do? Was it that obvious?”

“Daichi, even Iwa-chan agreed it was clear as day what – or rather, who – occupied your thoughts.”

Suga turned red at that, knowing how Iwaizumi often struggled in reading people’s emotions. If he could tell, it really must have been obvious.

“So,” Oikawa then blurted, pulling Suga back to the matter at hand. “When’s the wedding?”

“Tooru! We’ve only been courting for, what? Five minutes?!” Suga exclaimed while Daichi spluttered, seemingly choking on air.

“Okay, okay! I’ll leave you two to talk. And I mean it – just _talk._ You are not having babies before me, Kou-chan!”

“Tooru!” Suga exclaimed, absolutely mortified, but Oikawa was already making a swift exit, the door shutting behind him and taking his snickering laughter with him.

That left Suga and Daichi alone, stood beside one another, staring at the door a little longer after Oikawa had left.

“So,” Suga began slowly, nervously turning to look at Daichi, who looked equally if not more embarrassed at Oikawa’s words. “I guess we should talk, huh?”

Suga made the first move, padding over to his bed and perching on the edge. He left plenty of room next to him, indicating for Daichi to join him.

Now a little less shell-shocked, the alpha joined Suga on the bed, sitting close but with a bit of distance, unsure of his boundaries.

“Listen, Suga,” he began, running a hand through his hair. “I really like you and I don’t want to move too fast. I want to know everything about you, and I want you to feel comfortable. So, please tell me if you think I’m rushing or if you feel uncomfortable. Now that you’ve accepted my courting request, my father should get off my back and stop sending people to disturb our dates.”

Suga’s lips quirked up at that. _Dates. It was a date,_ he thought with excitement coursing through him.

“Me too, Daichi. I want to know you better too. And I don’t want you to force yourself into things because you think that’s what’s expected of you,” Suga replied softly, placing a gentle hand on Daichi’s knee. “I understand your haste in asking me, but we can still go at our own pace.”

Daichi’s eyes met his, and Suga could just melt under his gaze. “Thank you, Suga. I want you to know, though, I would never have asked to court you just because my father wants me to. I _chose_ you. I want to court _you._ No one else.”

Suga’s breath hitched. How could this man be any more perfect? “I know, Daichi. I trust you.”

And just like that, Suga was enveloped in Daichi’s arms, the scent of joy permeating the air around them, a mix of both the alpha’s and the omega’s as Daichi hugged him. In Daichi’s arms, Suga felt safe and protected, something he never would have expected to feel with someone he’d known for a few short weeks. It was like he was meant to be there, like they were made for each other, and Suga wouldn’t have it any other way.

It was a little while before Daichi reluctantly pulled back, needing to speak with Suga again. The omega admittedly already missed the prince’s warmth, but she could see something was playing on Daichi’s mind so he patiently waited for Daichi to speak.

“I was just thinking, I know you might not feel ready, but my father will probably want to meet you before he believes me when I tell him about us,” he said hesitantly.

Right. How could Suga forget? He would have to meet the king.

_He would have to meet the king._

“I can put it off as long as possible!” Daichi scrambled to say, seeing Suga’s eyes widen and perhaps sensing the panic that began rising in the omega’s chest.

“No, no I can do this,” Suga countered determinedly. It would have to happen sooner or later. “I’m a big boy. How bad could it be?” he joked, more to calm himself than to reassure Daichi. Still, the alpha chuckled at his remark.

“Okay, as long as you’re sure. I’m going to speak with him tonight, but I’ll try fend him away for a few days at least.”

Suga nodded in resolve; he didn’t know how the king would take it, and he didn’t know what would happen next in the grand scheme of things, but he knew he wasn’t going to give up on Daichi. Not when everything had only just begun.

Now that the urgent matters had been discussed, the two sat together and talked for ages, about their interests, hobbies, little things like their favourite colours and so on. They talked for so long that neither realised it was dinner time until Oikawa came to tell them, knowing they wouldn’t have been keeping track of time. Suga and Daichi sat together on a large table along with Oikawa, Iwaizumi, Kuroo, Bokuto, and three other men Suga hadn’t met before.

Suga tried to hide his blush as he and Daichi sat down and Daichi had pulled out Suga’s chair for him like a true gentleman, but he failed miserably and the whole table saw.

“Oho, what’s this?” Kuroo asked, a smirk forming on his lips while he rested his chin on his interlocked hands, elbows propped up on the table.

Suga saw panic flash in Daichi’s eyes, the alpha looking to him. Suga knew he was worrying about telling everyone, and although he was nervous, the omega actually liked Daichi’s friends (well, those he’d met already, at least) so with a small smile, he nodded encouragingly. Daichi smiled and breathed deeply before turning back to the rest of the table, who were eagerly awaiting his response.

“So, ah, I guess I have an announcement?” he began, clearing his throat. “But please try and keep it to yourselves for now. I haven’t even spoken to my father yet. From now on, I’ll be courting Suga.” He indicated to the omega beside him, unable to contain his smile as he spoke. “Suga, this is-”

“I knew it!” Kuroo exclaimed rather boisterously, interrupting Daichi. “How did it even take so long? Dude, I knew you were head-over-heels from day one! Good luck with this idiot, Suga. You’ll need it!”

Suga smiled as Kuroo laughed at Daichi’s redness and inability to respond to his remark. “Thanks, Kuroo-san,” he replied, smile widening to a grin.

There was a small round of congratulations after that, in which Suga learned who the other three men were. Azumane Asahi was a close friend of Daichi’s, and he seemed very sweet and kind – Suga reckoned he would get along well with him – though he was somewhat timid for an alpha. Not that Suga cared; he was never one for adhering to stereotypes himself. The man with the close-cropped hair that almost made him bald was called Tanaka Ryuunosuke, another royal guard though not quite as high-ranking as Kuroo or Bokuto. Finally, he learned that the irritated-looking young man was a new guard, who Tanaka had taken under his wing to train. His name was Kageyama Tobio, and Suga found out that his irritated expression was just his natural default, though it may have also been partly due to Tanaka insisting the boy call him ‘Tanaka-senpai’ whenever he spoke or referred to him.

The fun, however, was cut short when Daichi received a summons from his father, delivered in letter-form by a young page.

“I’m sorry, Suga. I have to go,” Daichi murmured to him sadly, looking like he definitely didn’t want to leave.

Suga offered him a reassuring smile and nodded. “It can’t be helped. Go, you mustn’t leave the king waiting.”

Daichi gazed intently into Suga’s eyes, as if he was searching for a lie or something, then sighed before nodding.

“I’ll see you soon, Suga,” he whispered before standing and vacating the table, leaving Suga to explain his departure.

 

\- ∞ -

 

“Come in, Daichi.”

Daichi’s footsteps across the threshold of his father’s office were heavy, weighed down by the knowledge of his father’s mistrust.

He’d asked for more time. That was all. Yet King Daiki went against Daichi’s solitary request and blackmailed one of Daichi’s oldest friends into trying to seduce him. While he was on a date, no less, though of course he wasn’t to know that part.

“There are matters that I wish to discuss with you. Take a seat.” King Daiki indicated towards the empty seat on the opposite side of the great oak desk before him.

Steeling his nerves, Daichi took a deep breath. He couldn’t sit quietly with this hanging in the air between them. No, better to get it out of the way.

“Of course, father, but there is something I must say before that.” There, he was at the point of no return.

The king raised a curious eyebrow and reclined further in his chair, waving a hand in front of him in a way that said, _‘go on’._

“I had hoped you had a little more trust in me to give me a matter of weeks, at least, when I asked for more time to find a mate. Yet days later, you threaten the Michimiya family unless Yui tries to approach me.” The venom in his tone did not go amiss; Daichi was uncharacteristically angry. These were matters of his life and heart that his father had tried to meddle with, and although the results had been harmless, the intentions were still insulting to the prince. “Was it not you who taught me that patience yields results?”

King Daiki sighed wearily, now understanding what Daichi was on about. “My boy, you must understand that this is important, and you’ve hardly been _trying_ to find a mate,” the king explained, oblivious to the depth his son’s anger.

“Father, I _have_ been trying!” he exclaimed, raising his voice to his father for the first time in many years. “In fact, your little stunt earlier nearly cost me the best hope I have for happiness!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Daichi regretted them. Not the truth behind them, but the way he’d shared this with his father. This was not how he wanted to bring up Suga, but it was out there now and Daichi would be damned if he didn’t see this through.

“I beg your pardon?” King Daiki questioned, the anger rising in his voice but the confusion overpowering it.

This was his chance. His chance to get things straight and stop his father from potentially ruining things further.

“It’s as I said. I was with someone until Yui showed up, damn near scaring him off for good! You’re lucky he’s such a kind human being that he let me explain everything to him _and_ agreed for me to court him! If you had ruined this…” Daichi couldn’t even finish that thought. It was one he’d rather not think of right now. Or ever, really.

There was a moment of silence, and Daichi clenched his eyes closed as he tried to regain his composure, too scared to try and gage his father’s reaction.

“You… are courting someone?” The king sounded dumbfounded, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“I am,” was all Daichi responded, firmly and assuredly.

“Well my boy, I’m delighted to hear that!” King Daiki exclaimed, beaming widely at the news.

Daichi still remained rigid, not reciprocating his father’s smile just yet. He was still understandably annoyed at the man, king or not.

The king seemed unphased by Daichi’s lack of reaction, continuing on. “Tell me about them! Did you say it was a he? Tell me about him! Do I know him?”

Daichi stood, his arms folded across his chest, unsure of how to react. If he replied, it meant conceding but if he didn’t he risked really pissing his father off. So, choosing the option that guaranteed his life, Daichi sighed and perched on the edge of the desk.

“His name’s Sugawara Koushi, and he’s Oikawa’s friend,” Daichi began before describing the omega in detail. He knew his parents had tried being open and supportive of whoever Daichi would choose, but he didn’t miss the excited glint in his father’s eye when he revealed that Suga was, in fact, an omega. The prince could practically hear the word _‘grandchildren!’_ blaring in his father’s head.

“Well then, son, I do hope we’ll be hearing wedding bells soon. Don’t keep us waiting too long!” his father jested, nudging Daichi’s arm, though Daichi knew the king very much wasn’t joking.

Now that that was out of the way, King Daiki could finally get onto the point of the meeting, which involved discussing times and numbers for extra military training sessions, considering the number of enthusiastic young men wanting to join the army had risen in the past few months.

By the time the meeting had ended, Daichi had thought of something to bring up with his father. So, before King Daiki could dismiss him, Daichi spoke up.

“Father? There is something I wanted to ask, and perhaps you’ll be more willing to listen considering I think you owe me,” Daichi began.

The king chortled and slapped his hand against his knee. “Oh Daichi, my boy. As cunning and manipulative as your mother,” he exclaimed with a grin. “Go on, I’m listening.”

 

\- ∞ -

 

Suga had to admit, not much had changed since Daichi had started courting him.

Of course, they went of more walks and met up in Daichi’s free time, but unfortunately there were still plenty of meetings and various other commitments that Daichi had to attend. That meant their time together was fleeting, and with Oikawa joining Daichi at many of those commitments, Suga was getting… well, a little lonely, to be honest.

It had been a week since Daichi asked to court him, and Suga was on his way to breakfast when he found Daichi hanging around at the end of the guest wing corridor. The alpha was leaning against the wall, staring off into space, dressed in what Suga could only describe as active-wear; he wore a loose, light, beige linen shirt and a pair or dark brown breeches, complete with ankle boots.

Suga smiled to himself like he always did when he caught Daichi waiting for him.

“You off for a run?” Suga teased, approaching the alpha with renewed purpose.

Daichi’s head whipped round, startled by Suga’s sudden appearance. He really had been spacing out to get that surprised.

“No? What do you- oh, you mean my clothes? We’re training after breakfast,” Daichi explained, realising what Suga was talking about.

“Ooh! What kind of training? Can I join?” Suga had always loved sparring, something he was able to do freely in Aobajousai but hadn’t gotten round to bringing up with Daichi. He wasn’t sure what the rules were about omega’s training with alphas in Karasuno, but he wasn’t going to give up before he even tried.

Daichi seemed momentarily perplexed by the request before he gathered his senses. “I, ah… I mean, if you’re sure?” Suga nodded eagerly, so Daichi shrugged. “Then I don’t see why not.”

“Great! Can you wait here for a second while I go change?” Suga asked, practically bouncing on the spot with excitement already.

Daichi nodded, and Suga was off, racing back to his room to remove his smarter clothes and replace them with a get-up not dissimilar to Daichi’s. He was ready in record time and rejoined Daichi only a few minutes later.

“Shall we?” Daichi asked as he offered his arm to Suga, grinning because Suga’s grin was infectious.

Suga looped his arm through Daichi’s, linking them together. “We shall.”

Breakfast had slowly but surely become a constant, in which Suga and Daichi sat besides each other on the table with the usual bunch from the first day Daichi had announced their relationship. This was one thing Suga always looked forward to, enjoying the company of the rowdy but otherwise considerate men, all alphas except Oikawa and Suga himself, of course. It was also a little personal bonus that Daichi would put his hand on Suga’s knee in an almost possessive way whenever one of the other guys leaned in a little close. What could he say? Suga enjoyed Daichi’s unnecessary jealousy a little too much.

“Suga, you’re coming to train with us?” Bokuto asked excitedly as the group (minus Iwaizumi and Oikawa, who had left the table a little earlier than the rest) walked towards the direction of the training grounds.

“Yep! I can’t wait to stretch my legs a bit,” Suga replied equally as enthusiastically. “You’ll spar with me, right Bokuto-san?”

Bokuto looked baffled, unable to understand why someone smaller than him would want to fight him. “Um, don’t take this the wrong way but… I don’t want to hurt you.”

Suga waved it off, completely used to the hesitancy most alphas had in sparring him. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’ll be fine.”

Still, Bokuto was reluctant, and he turned to Daichi for help. Daichi, on the other hand, was finding the whole exchange very amusing. He knew by now that Suga wasn’t joking in the slightest and fully intended on taking on Bokuto, but in the interest of saving his buddy’s dignity, Daichi helped Bokuto out.

“It’s been a while since you sparred, right?” he asked Suga, who nodded in a way that showed he was wondering what Daichi was getting at. “Well, Bokuto has been training daily, so I think he’s got an unfair advantage for now. Why don’t you take on Kageyama today, and you can spar with Bokuto when you’ve warmed up a bit more, hm?”

Suga thought about it for a moment before deciding Daichi had a point – it _had_ been a while, and he didn’t want to pull a muscle by overexerting himself on the first day.

“Sounds reasonable,” he replied with a shrug. “But will Kageyama’s pride be okay when I beat him?”

Kuroo’s guffaw burst out at that, and Kageyama scowled at the raven-haired alpha, directing his expression to Kuroo for fear of offending Suga and getting on Daichi’s bad side.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” was all the young alpha grumbled in response, earning even more laughter from Kuroo.

“I’ll admit, I’ve trained him well,” Tanaka boasted nonchalantly, “and he wasn’t hand-picked for the palace guard for nothing. But then again, I haven’t seen your skills, Suga.”

“Let’s let our actions do the talking,” Suga responded with a smirk, picking up his pace to get to the training grounds quicker.

Unbeknownst to the omega, Daichi was falling deeper and deeper just hearing him so confident about his skills in combat. The alpha hadn’t even known that was a turn-on until he’d met Suga.

When they reached the dusty training grounds, everyone started on their own warm-ups. Jogging, stretching, the lot could be seen amongst the men. Suga noticed, as he jogged the perimeter of the area, that no-one else joined them, meaning this must have been a more private training session.

“So, Suga? What’s your trade?” Kuroo asked the omega as the warm-ups ended and everyone started to gather at a ring meant for combat training. “Archery? Sword? The ol’ fisticuffs?”

Suga pondered the question for a moment. “Well, I’ve done a bit of everything, but I guess I would say my favourites are hand-to-hand and sword.”

Suga had become well acquainted to the tamahagane he would wield in training in Aobajousai, loving the way it was weighted, the way it sliced through the air so delicately for something that could cause such destruction. Indeed, the katana was a weapon he identified with, and he wielded one like an extension of his own arm.

Then there was his extensive training in several types of hand-to-hand combat and methods of self-defence, ranging from traditional karate to full-on first-to-fist brawling.  There was just something so exhilarating about using the whole body and channelling it into one fist or foot to make an impact that Suga got a rush from.

“Sword,” Kageyama declared, knowing full-well that he wasn’t going to get out of fighting Suga. The young alpha would rather not lay a finger on the prince’s chosen court mate, so the sword was the better option. At least the training swords were blunted for slightly more safety.

Suga chuckled at the eagerness of the young guard to choose a swordfight, nodding in response.

“Alright you lot!” Tanaka announced in a booming voice, grinning menacingly at the group and earning an eye-roll from Daichi. “Here’s the rules of the duel! Both duellers must start arm’s length apart in the centre of the ring. The fight begins when I say ‘now’. It ends either when one forfeits, steps out of the boundaries of the ring, or loses their sword. Let’s have a nice, clean fight!”

Suga smirked, selecting one of the katana’s from the rack of training swords beside the ring. “Don’t go easy on me because I’m an omega,” he taunted to Kageyama, though he was serious. He was determined to win this fair and square.

Kageyama just kissed his teeth. “Tsk, don’t underestimate me.”

The two took their staring positions in the circle, each brandishing a sword, while the others eagerly gathered around the outside of the ring to watch.

“READY. SET. NOW!”

Tanaka’s shout resonated through each person, and as soon as he called ‘now’ Suga lunged for an immediate attack, which Kageyama only just parried. Without waiting a second, Suga’s body morphed into a defensive stance, ready for Kageyama’s next move.

 _Make the first move, throw them off their game, then take your time._ That was the strategy Suga had formulated over time, especially for over-confident but inexperienced opponents. Of course, he had other strategies, but this seemed to fit best against the young alpha.

As Suga expected, Kageyama was taken aback by his quick strike, which meant his own lunge was sloppy, fuelled by irritation. That made it easy to dodge, his blade missing the omega completely by the time it swung down. Losing his footing by the misjudged attack, Kageyama stumbled and Suga was able to attack again, knocking the alpha to his knees. Two swift moves later and Kageyama’s sword was on the ground, his hand empty with his wrist under Suga’s boot, the omega’s sword hovering a hair’s breadth away from his neck.

Someone in the crowd whistled, sounding impressed by the speed and swiftness of the fight, Suga having won within the minute.

“That,” Suga declared, speaking to everyone but with his eyes trained on the boy beneath him, “is why amateurs shouldn’t get cocky. And why you should never underestimate an omega.”

Suga lifted his foot from Kageyama’s wrist and stepped away, the onlookers erupting into cheers and applause while Kageyama ashamedly pulled himself up off the ground and dusted himself off.

“Wow, Suga! That was amazing! You’re like, a sword fighting master or something!” Bokuto praised excitedly, now very happy he hadn’t yet agreed to spar, aware that it might have bruised his ego, a fate Kageyama was undoubtedly suffering.

“Thanks! I guess you could say I’ve had a lot of free time on my hands to practice,” Suga replied with a shrug, grinning with the high of his victory. If anything would prove himself strong to Daichi’s friends, that was it.

Meandering over to an amazed-looking Daichi, Suga’s smile turned a little shy. “So, what’d you think?” he asked as he approached the prince’s side.

Daichi was lost for words until he chuckled and sighed. “I shouldn’t have expected any less,” was his response, his tone revealing that he’d found it all very endearing. What Suga didn’t detect was how it had made Daichi flustered – turned him on, even.

Suga was satisfied with Daichi’s answer, nodding before heading off to look for his next victim.

Training continued on for a while, each man choosing what trade to focus on and working alone or in pairs, until it was an hour before lunch. When that time came, a page ran over to alert them of the time, everyone stopping and warming down so they could head back to their rooms and wash up before lunch.

“I trust you know your way back,” Daichi said to Suga; normally he’d accompany the omega on the walk back, but he really needed a shower and wanted to be ready in time to meet Suga and walk him to lunch. Well, that, and he had a surprise waiting for Suga.

“What do you even take me for, Daichi?” Suga asked, feigning offence. “See you soon!”

And with that, they parted ways.

 

\- ∞ -

 

Suga couldn’t lie, he was exhausted when he finally reached the door to his room. Muscles that had been neglected for far too long now burned with the satisfying ache of a proper work-out, though it did make getting through the rest of the day seem more and more unappealing. What he needed was a nice, hot bath to soothe his stiff, aching limbs.

When he opened the door, he froze.

Stood in the middle of his room, hands held behind him, was an unfamiliar man. Admittedly, a beautiful one, at that, if you liked that kind of delicate beauty.

“Um, who are you?” Suga questioned, completely confused.

The man, who Suga now realised to be another omega, bowed as though bowing to royalty, which to Suga felt completely out of place.

“Please pardon my intrusion, Sugawara-san,” he began in a soft voice, remaining in his bow without even looking up. “My name is Akaashi Keiji. I was hired by his royal highness, Prince Daichi, to be your attendant for your stay in Karasuno. You can call on me whenever you desire, whether it be to clean or prepare your clothes, or just provide some company.”

Suga was taken aback, not expecting this, especially because that was basically _his_ job for Oikawa. The thing that struck him the most was that he had never asked for anything like this, or expressed any need for it, which made him think that perhaps Daichi had some other reason for it; Suga was sure Daichi didn’t think he _needed_ an attendant, or even wanted one, so maybe this omega needed a job or something. It was, after all, more difficult for omegas to find work these days, though less so than it had been in the past.

So, Suga decided to make the most of this and possibly make a new friend instead of rejecting the help. Rushing over, Suga placed a hand on Akaashi’s shoulder.

“Please, no need to bow! I’m not a noble or anything!”

Akaashi nodded and straightened up, still watching Suga respectfully, as though awaiting a command.

“First, call me Suga, not ‘Sugawara-san’. That’s too formal. Second, Akaashi-san, it’s lovely to meet you! I’d love to sit and talk for a while but I really need a bath.” Suga sheepishly stepped back, self-conscious about smelling of sweat in front of Akaashi.

Akaashi nodded and smiled a little. “It’s good to meet you too, Suga-san. Prince Daichi sent ahead a message to draw you a bath a little earlier, so the bath is ready for you,” Akaashi said kindly, indicating towards the bathroom.

It was surprising, though not unpleasant, for Suga not to have to wait to take a bath. Maybe that, at least, was something he could get used to. Thanking Akaashi, he made his way to the bathroom. As he relaxed into the warm, floral-smelling bathwater, he made a mental note to ask Daichi what this was all about later. For now, he’d enjoy his bath, and invite Akaashi to join him for lunch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you next friday (hopefully XD)  
> P.S. if the next chapter is late, it's because I'm a bit behind on writing and I'm actually quite busy next week, but it won't be more than a day or two late if it is!


	6. Interlude: With a Little Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A peek into Akaashi's perspective

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title song (minus the part that says 'Interlude') - With a Little Help From My Friends - The Beatles
> 
> Trying something a little different - let me know what you think of this chapter and if I should do more other-perspective chapters (interludes) in the future!

Akaashi Keiji couldn’t complain: he’d never had the hardest life ever. Plenty of people were worse off than him. No, he was lucky.

That was what his mother always told him.

He believed her, for the most part, until he reached the age of thirteen and his secondary gender reared its ugly head, in the words of his mum.

For a good long while, Akaashi lived his life working in the house while his mother was out working, though he never knew what her job was. He would clean and cook and do everything he could to avoid punishment. The one escape he had was school, but even then it wasn’t exactly the best school in the country, It was something, though. He was an only child, knowing nothing of his father, so when his mother was out it was always just him in the small, rickety bungalow.

His mum showed her true nature, though, when Akaashi presented. It was then that Akaashi decided he needed to get out of there.

Six years later, and he was no closer to his escape than he had been as a child.

He had narrowly escaped the several times his mother had tried to sell him off to the highest bidder or flaunt him on display, but when word of the crown prince’s birthday celebrations reached the heartless woman, Akaashi knew there was no way to get out of doing as she said without getting hurt. So, against his will, Akaashi had gone to the festival, scantily clad in materials that left far too little to the imagination. It was humiliating, but it caused a battle in his brain; on the one hand, if the prince refused him, he’d be back with his mother and subject to whatever her next money-grabbing scheme was. But on the other hand, if the prince succumbed to his ‘advances’ he could be stuck in a loveless relationship or even just used as a toy for the prince’s rut. That was a thought that made him feel physically sick.

By the time he’d reached the front of the queue, he knew he couldn’t do it. He’d have to just introduce himself respectfully, wish the prince happy birthday, and go. It was an understatement to say he was caught by surprise at the turn of events, though. Not only was the prince much gentler and far more perceptive than he’d given him credit for, but he also ended up getting escorted away by a robust, tall guard, his height impressive as stood taller than him considering Akaashi was somewhat tall himself.

Alphas usually had a tendency to intimidate him; he’d spent his whole life being taught by his mother that he, an omega, was inferior and should do as an alpha says. He hated it, but from these warnings a fear had budded, growing and sprouting with every alpha he’d met. Yet, this particular alpha in the form of a charismatic, admittedly rather goofy guard did not induce such fear. Far from it, actually. Akaashi felt _safe_ holding onto Bokuto’s arm as he guided him around the festival, first to purchase him a long, luxurious fur coat to cover his shivering form. Safety was not a word he’d learnt to associate with alphas, but here he was, feeling safe with this stranger. Akaashi put it down to Bokuto’s friendly, warm aura that he emitted. There was no use in convincing himself otherwise; it was undoubtedly the first and last time he would meet the man. Indeed, once his mother caught word of the prince’s rejection, she would surely arrange the next set-up as soon as physically possible.

That was exactly what had happened.

Luckily for Akaashi, none that had visited agreed to take him. Something about smelling wrong? He wasn’t quite sure, and considering his mother was a beta and therefore lacked such a keen sense of smell, she couldn’t figure it out either. Of course, she still punished Akaashi. It must have been his fault, right?

What he hadn’t realised was that Bokuto had accidentally scent-marked the coat he’d given Akaashi, and that scent still lingered. Akaashi had thought it was just a phantom-scent, the sensation of thinking you smell something that isn’t there. Alas, the scent of another alpha was warding the others away.

Things seemed to settle back into their usual routine, with Akaashi locked in the house to clean most days, until one morning a visitor arrived that changed everything.

“Keiji! Answer the door his instant!” his mum called from her bedroom when the sound of knocks on the door resounded through the shack-like house.

Sighing to himself, Akaashi pushed himself up from where he was kneeling on the floor, scrubbing the woodwork with soapy water because they couldn’t afford polish. He hurried over to the door in case they knocked again, which would make his mum angry.

When he pulled open the door, he stood unmoving in confusion; before him was a man bearing the royal crest with a letter in his hands, open and ready to be read.

Clearing his throat, the man – a beta, judging by his scent or lack thereof – began in a loud announcement, “Mr Akaashi Keiji, by the order of Crown Prince Sawamura Daichi, has hereby been offered permanent work within the royal palace of Karasuno, bed and board included. Should he so wish to accept, he should be escorted as soon as he is ready on this day to the palace, where further details of his role will be disclosed.”

Akaashi didn’t know what to think. A job? In the palace? It was everything he ever wanted – to get away from this life and start afresh. But at the same time, what was this job? What would he be made to do? These unanswered questions made him apprehensive, hesitant to respond, and that moment of hesitancy gave his mother time to barge into the main room and demand:

“Akaashi Keiji, you will do _no such thing!”_

Before Akaashi could even respond, the messenger spoke up, still reading off the long piece of paper.

“In the event that the deliverer of this message – that’s me,” he added, looking up for a second before returning to the paper, “ – suspects Mr Akaashi Keiji would like to accept his royal highness’ offer but is otherwise hindered from doing so, the deliverer of this message may step in and provide aid to Mr Akaashi Keiji.” He then proceeded to roll up the paper and pocket it before turning to Akaashi.

“Akaashi Keiji, I presume?” he checked, earning a small nod in reply. “What, ignoring all outside influence-” he continued, shooting a short but powerful glare at the fuming woman behind Akaashi, “is your response to this generous offer?”

Akaashi’s throat felt dry. He was conflicted, scared of what his mother might do if he accepted and equally as terrified at the void of unknowns in front of him if he accepted the offer. That, however, was what spurred his answer; he knew what his life would inevitably be if he stayed. He’d be made to clean and work for his mother as usual until one of her schemes to sell him off worked. Then he’d be left subject to the whims of whatever alpha bought him. He’d never have his freedom, his own happiness, and a life without freedom wasn’t a life worth living. If he left, yes he would be going into uncharted territories when it came to his view of the future, but he could be opening so many other doors. Prince Daichi seemed kind enough that Akaashi suspected this was a genuine job offer, and he couldn’t help but think – or maybe hope – that Bokuto might have had something to do with this, seeing as Akaashi may have let slip that he wished he had a way to be free of his mother’s restraints.

So, without looking back, he stepped into the void of the unknown.

“I accept.”

 

\- ∞ -

 

As it turned out, the messenger was a trusted palace guard named Kinoshita Hisashi, and he’d brought another guard, which was a good decision because Akaashi’s mother did not let him go lightly.

She’d kicked and screamed, throwing both objects and nasty words Akaashi’s way. The other guard, Narita Kazuhita, held her back while Kinoshita helped Akaashi to swiftly pack up the few personal possessions and items of clothing he owned.

Akaashi had made sure to wrap himself up in the coat gifted to him by Bokuto before the three of them left, leaving the hysterically furious woman behind. Akaashi didn’t look back. Not once.

It was still early morning when they reached the palace, the last dregs of the peachy tint of sunrise dissipating, making way for the day’s sunlight. They had ridden in on horseback, Akaashi’s arms clasped securely around Narita’s waist as he rode behind him on the back of a pine-coloured stallion, and as soon as they arrived Akaashi was led to a small room.

“Sorry about all this. I know we’ve been a bit vague,” Kinoshita began sheepishly, indicating for Akaashi to sit in one of the seats by the small round table that served as the centrepiece of the room, mostly bare save for the few shelves of books and paintings of landscaped adorning the walls.

“I hope you don’t mind me dropping the formalities,” he then said, to which Akaashi shook his head to show he didn’t mind. “Great! Well I’m sure you’re curious as to what’s going on. Daichi, that is, Prince Daichi, noticed that you seemed unhappy with the way your mother had treated you at the festival, and he gained some confirmation of this by one of his trusted friends, a guard here by the name of Bokuto Kotarou. You’ve met, right? Anyway, here’s where the secrecy comes in and why we didn’t say it earlier. Daichi has recently begun courting someone, and might I say the few times I’ve seen them together Daichi is clearly completely smitten. The thing is, the person he’s courting, Sugawara Koushi, works for Prince Oikawa Tooru of Aobajousai as his personal assistant, so he’s sometimes busy. So, Daichi came up with this way of helping you both out: you work as Sugawara-san’s personal attendant. That way, you get a well-paid job as well as your own room in the palace, and Sugawara-san gets help with his own daily routines so he has more time to look out for himself _and_ Prince Oikawa. What do you think? Sound like a fair deal?”

Akaashi was flabbergasted. There was so much he was bombarded with that he wasn’t sure where to even begin processing it all. The festival was, what? A few weeks ago? A month? How did Daichi even remember his name let alone who he was and how he felt? And Bokuto too? Who was Sugawara-san? Would he be nice? Snobbish?

He realised Kinoshita was still waiting for a reply moments later and stuttered, “I- Prince Daichi… wants m-me? T-to work for th-the potential _queen of Karasuno?”_

Both Kinoshita and Narita chuckled at his response, Narita speaking up from where he was leaning casually against the wall. “Well when you put it like that, it makes it sound more daunting, doesn’t it?”

Sensing Akaashi’s rising nerves, Kinoshita quickly interjected, “But believe me, I haven’t actually met Sugawara-san in person yet, I’ve just seen him from afar, but from what I’ve seen and heard he’s really nice and probably won’t give you loads of work or anything, so you don’t need to worry! And he’s an omega, which Daichi mentioned you were too, so you’ll have something in common, at least.”

Akaashi was silent for a moment while he tried to come up with the best thing to say. In the end, he settled on, “If Prince Daichi chose him, he must be a good person. I trust the prince’s judgement.”

Kinoshita’s face broke out in a big toothy grin. “Great! Someone should be here soon to show you to your room, and then to Sugawara-san’s room so you can meet him.”

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door, and Narita opened it to reveal a middle-aged woman with greying hair and a stern expression.

Cutting right to the chase, she looked over at Akaashi, who instinctively stood and bent slightly into a bow of respect.

“Akaashi Keiji, I assume. Follow me.”

Without waiting for even a split second, she turned on her heel and began walking away, the rapping of her kitten heels against the hardwood floor echoing back to the three men.

Akaashi glanced nervously at the two guards, who nodded their heads in confirmation that Akaashi should be following, before hurrying off to find the woman.

“I’ll make this short and concise,” the woman began as soon as Akaashi caught up to her, trailing behind while she steadfastly led the way, not even turning her head to direct her speech at him. “My name is Ikeda Mei, I am the head of the workers of this household. Your commands will come from only Sugawara Koushi, the king, queen or prince, and me. You are under no obligation to cater to anyone else’s whims if you do not wish it, though it is polite to do so if they ask with proper manners and are not asking for a lot.”

Ikeda led him up a flight of stairs, taking him deeper into the palace. A few more moments of silent walking, and Ikeda spoke again.

“This is the guest wing, where guests of the palace stay. As such, Prince Oikawa, his companion, and Sugawara-san are staying here. Normally, workers of the house board either downstairs in the employee wing, or close to the royal wing if they are personal attendants to the royalty. However, an exception has been made for you to room in the guest wing, two doors down from Sugawara-san so you are close and can respond promptly to his summons.” Ikeda explained this all whilst showing him into a room, opening the door to reveal the unoccupied bedroom.

The room was unlike anything Akaashi had encountered in his life; the size was comparable to the whole bungalow in which he had lived his whole life, the bed alone as big as his past bedroom. Large windows lined the back wall, thick emerald green velvet curtains draped in front of them that would easily black-out the room when closed. A fireplace with gently smouldering coals was facing the bed but from a safe distance, and two armchairs had been placed either side of the fireplace, easily accessible to move in front of the fire if Akaashi so wished. Book cases, cupboards and wardrobes were also placed around the outskirts of the room, though Akaashi didn’t own nearly enough clothes or possessions to fill even one of them. The fluffiest fur rug Akaashi had ever seen was also spread out on the ground at the foot of the bed, and Akaashi made a mental note to test out it’s softness later.

“Um, Ikeda-san, is this really my room?” he asked nervously, unable to really comprehend that this would all belong to him.

Ikeda scoffed. “Close your mouth, you’ll catch flies. And that’s Ikeda-sama to you. Yes, this is your room. At least, for the time being. Should Sugawara-san leave the palace, you would be relocated to the employee wing and your role reassigned. For now, though, you may call this room yours. Sugawara-san’s room is the second room to the left when you are facing your door from outside the room. I was alerted just before I came to get you that Sugawara-san has joined the prince and a group of guards for some training, so I expect he’ll want a bath when he gets back. You have around half an hour before they are expected to finish their training. Take this time to settle in and perhaps prepare for Sugawara-san’s arrival to his room. That will be all.”

Ikeda made to leave, already heading for the door, but Akaashi spoke up, making her pause in the door way.

“Ikeda-sama? Thank you for your guidance. I’ll be in your care!” Akaashi bowed respectfully, taking Ikeda by surprise, but the woman smiled for the first time since Akaashi had met her.

“Yes, well, welcome to the palace, Akaashi Keiji.”

 

\- ∞ -

 

True to Akaashi’s predictions, Sugawara-san – Suga-san, rather – had been kind and polite. He didn’t expect to be invited to breakfast, though.

“Akaashi-san, would you like to join me for breakfast? That is, of course, if you haven’t already eaten,” the silver-haired omega asked as he exited the bathroom in a bath robe, rubbing at his hair with a towel.

Akaashi had just finished making Suga’s bed and was expecting to be asked to complete another chore, so his surprise by the request was not unwarranted.

“That’s very kind, Suga-san, but I don’t know if I’m allowed…” he replied, trailing off at the end. He didn’t want to get in trouble with Ikeda-sama, but the tell-tale rumble of his neglected stomach at the mention of food gave him away.

“Oh nonsense!” Suga exclaimed. “If you want to come, then I’m ordering you to join me. Then you can blame me if you get scolded, okay?”

Akaashi thought for a moment, then nodded. “Thank you, Suga-san. Oh, and I laid out some clothes for you on the bed to change into. I didn’t know what you’d want to wear, but I heard it was going to get colder soon so I made sure to pick out slightly thicker materials,” Akaashi explained. “I also wasn’t sure if you wanted assistance in dressing,” he added in an embarrassed mumble, not wanting to overstep his boundaries or anything. He was new at this, after all.

Suga’s bright laughter filled the air as he drifted over to the clothing. “That’s so thoughtful of you, Akaashi-san. These look perfect. And you don’t have to worry about helping me get dressed! If you want, you can freshen up before we head down. Is your room near to here?”

“Two doors over to your left the way you’re facing,” Akaashi replied with a nod. He then froze, realising he had nothing to change into. “Um, Suga-san, maybe I shouldn’t come after all.”

“Hm? What do you mean?” Suga questioned, pausing and turning back to the other omega.

Akaashi’s embarrassment was clear on his reddened cheeks. “I don’t, um… these are the only clothes I have, and I fear they’re not appropriate…”

He was referring to the well-worn grey shirt that was once upon a time meant to be white, and the ragged brown trousers that was littered with holes and shoddy stitches where larger holes had been closed up.

Suga pondered this for a moment, wondering once again what situation this poor boy was pulled from, before easily coming up with a solution.

“That’s not a problem! Just take some of my clothes! I still have a few things to do for Prince Oikawa, so you’ve got plenty of time to wash up and change, okay? I’ll come get you when we need to leave.”

The way Suga spoke, with such conviction and without an ounce of disgust towards Akaashi, meant that it was easy for Akaashi to trust Suga. Kinoshita was right; he really _is_ a nice person, ‘nice’ being the understatement of the year.

Without further ado, Akaashi helped himself to a clean outfit of Suga’s and hurried off to his room to shower and change, that being his first ever shower. Slowly filling a basin with a bucket couldn’t even compare to the luxury of the pressurised jets of water showering down on him, cleaning him and washing away his fears and stresses. He was finally free. Free of his mother, free from the slimy alphas she tried to sell him to. Even working for Suga was a luxury, and Akaashi didn’t think there was anyone in the world he’d rather work for; in just the few minutes of interaction with him, Akaashi had a good idea about what kind of person he was, and he was the kind of person Akaashi could only dream of being able to call a friend.

True to his word, Suga came to his door about twenty minutes later, when he had dried off and changed. The clothes Suga had lent him were comfortable, though a little short on the arms and legs since Akaashi was a little bit taller. It wasn’t all that noticeable, but Suga promised to talk to Daichi about getting him some clothes of his own, despite Akaashi insisting it wasn’t that big of a deal.

And thus began Akaashi’s first day as a palace employee. Breakfast was an interesting affair, meeting the prince again, which gave him the opportunity to thank him, and all of his friends. His eyes had flickered over to the owlish guard a few too many times, who seemed to be dumb with shock that he was there. Thoughts that had crossed Akaashi’s mind while Bokuto had accompanied him at the festival returned, and this time Akaashi didn’t squash them down. Not now that they were less impossible than he had thought.

After breakfast, he joined Suga for a walk around the palace, the two of them opting to explore the interior while everyone was in meetings as it was indeed starting to snow outside. Suga really did want to get to know him, so they talked as they walked. Suga learned of Akaashi’s family, or rather lack thereof, and didn’t judge him in the slightest. Akaashi learned the vague story of how Suga came to be Oikawa’s personal assistant, though the dark-haired omega didn’t pressure Suga into being more specific. He could only guess that it was something that hurt the other, and the last thing Akaashi wanted to do was upset Suga.

Kinoshita had also been right in assuming Suga wouldn’t make him work much. Only when Suga left to speak with Oikawa before dinner did Suga ask for Akaashi to get a jacket for him, being that the palace had grown colder through the day, especially when the sun had retired for the night.

When Akaashi laid in bed that night, his new duvet and blankets providing him with more than enough warmth, he decided he was blessed. Something in the universe had blessed him with the chance to meet Prince Daichi, and subsequently Bokuto and Suga, and for once he thought that everything was going to get better. This was his new life, and he couldn’t have been more thankful for it. He even let himself be thankful that his horrible mother had forced him into meeting Daichi, because without her help he would never have escaped. That was the one thing she did right by him.

As sleep began to consume him, his last thought before drifting into a dreaming slumber was: _maybe I do deserve to be happy._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's late again! As I explained earlier, I've been pretty busy this past week, and will be for a while yet, so I'm a bit behind on writing. However, I strive to get chapters out regularly, so even if they're late they will still be roughly a week apart! Going through a little bit of the old writer's-block but should be getting past that soon, because I do know the events that will play out. It's just a matter of me trying to convey them the way I mean to in my writing!


	7. The Desire That Burns From Within

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title song - I Am the Fire by Halestorm

It had been a few months since the prince of Aobajousai and his posse had arrived in Karasuno, and Suga couldn’t see an end to their visit in sight.

He didn’t really understand all the political stuff Oikawa and Daichi had to be involved in because no-one told him the situation, but it seemed like it was important, and Oikawa hadn’t given any indication that they planned to leave just yet.

Not that he was complaining, of course! Each passing day he spent in Karasuno was another day with Daichi. They’d grown a lot closer since they had started courting, each interaction becoming less awkward by the minute.

Speaking of Daichi, Suga was meant to meet with him in their special place very soon, that place being the balcony Daichi had shown him the day he asked to court him.

“Akaashi, Tooru, do I look alright?” he asked apprehensively, holding his arms out and doing a little turn to display his outfit to his attendant/new friend.

That was another thing – he and Akaashi had become fast friends, Akaashi soon enough switching from ‘Suga-san’ to just ‘Suga’, and once he’d introduced Akaashi properly to Oikawa, the prince had insisted they all be ‘best friends’. So here they were, in Suga’s room, Oikawa lounging on the bed as per usual and Akaashi perched delicately on the edge of it while Suga was preparing for his date.

Suga had picked out some of his nicer clothes, opting for slightly darker royal blue trousers and an airy, flowing, ivory silk shirt. Adorning his body were also several pieces of silver jewellery that Oikawa had given him over the years as birthday gifts. Both ears had thin sticks of silver hanging from ear hooks, several on each hook at varying lengths so they looked almost like miniature windchimes. A thick silver bangle clasped perfectly on his left wrist, not too heavy and not too lavish, just the way Suga liked it. Of course, Oikawa had also insisted on dusting on a little bit of makeup for him, so his eyelids also had a silvery-blueish shimmer and were lined ever so slightly with thin lined of black while his lips were coated in a thin layer of glistening gloss.

“Kou-chan, my sweet, innocent Kou-chan, Daichi isn’t going to be able to keep his hands off you,” Oikawa replied, a sparkle in his eye that revealed his pride over his part to play in Suga’s overall appearance.

That response made Suga’s cheeks turn instantly red, skipping the ‘pink’ phase all together.

“Tooru! Don’t say things like that! You know it’s not proper!” he exclaimed, trying to keep his cool whilst fanning his face. He couldn’t turn up to see Daichi whilst flustered! “Besides, you know the rules in Karasuno are different to Aobajousai! I’m pretty sure Daichi could lose his entitlement to the throne if he… did stuff… out of marriage!”

Oikawa began to laugh, all the while Suga was painfully unsuccessful in trying to keep the colour out of his cheeks.

“Kou-chan, I didn’t say anything about that, now, did I? Someone’s getting _frustrated_ ,” Oikawa responded, putting a mischievous emphasis on ‘frustrated’ to give the word a new meaning.

“Well I, for one, think you look stunning, Suga,” Akaashi chimed in, trying to change the subject for Suga’s sake, for which he was very grateful. He’d never make it out without looking like a tomato at this rate.

“Thanks, Akaashi. I guess I should get going soon, huh?”

“Kou-chan, what are you so nervous about? You two have literally been courting for like, two months or something already!”

Oikawa did have a point.

“I know, I know, I just… I don’t know, I guess I’m just a bit on-edge today. It’s fine.”

It was true that he had been feeling a bit off that morning, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t go to this date wholeheartedly. He knew what the ‘off’ feeling was, too, and knew it was nothing to worry about just yet. It as because his heat was due to start soon. He still had a week or so to prepare, though, since he always got this feeling a week in advance. He just hoped he wouldn’t make Daichi worried. It wasn’t like he could do anything to help, either. Not even now they were courting. He’d learned this from a young age, when he was still in Karasuno as a child; that was something to be saved for marriage. Aobajousai was different, and they didn’t have that rule, so Oikawa was fine because he had Iwaizumi. But this was Karasuno, and he couldn’t expect the same. No, he wouldn’t mention it to Daichi. Oikawa would cover for him, and he would look after himself the same he did every other heat.

Anyway, he had plenty of time to sort that all out. No use stressing over it now.

After bidding Oikawa and Akaashi farewell, he headed off for the meeting place, retracing the steps the two of them had taken several times the past couple of months, letting his muscle-memory guide him thoughtlessly to the discretely placed room.

Unlike all the other times he’d come with Daichi, the room was already flooded with light, the curtain over the back door drawn back and the door itself propped open.  Smiling to himself, fuelled by a renewed excitement to see Daichi after his embarrassment with his friends moments ago, he made his way over to the open door, finding Daichi sat on the ground of the balcony, a platter of fruits beside him.

“How picturesque,” Suga said with a slight chuckle, startling Daichi with his sudden appearance. “If only I could have a portrait of this image to capture it.”

“Suga! I didn’t hear you come over,” Daichi exclaimed, shuffling up to make more room for Suga to join him. “You look… wow, you look amazing.” Daichi sounded a little breathless as he delivered that compliment, and Suga couldn’t keep the smile off his lips.

“Thanks. I kinda let Oikawa run loose with some makeup,” he replied with a shrug, sitting next to Daichi, so close that their shoulders brushed against each other.

“Well he did a good job. I thought you might want to just sit and relax today, so I brought some fruit, but we can go and walk for a bit later if you feel like it.”

“This is perfect, Daichi. Thank you.”

And so they sat, lazing on the balcony in privacy, talking and nibbling on fruit. The view was different from what it had been the first time Suga had seen in. Now that it was the midst of spring, many more flowers were in bloom, leaving splashes of many other colours around the grounds. Pinks, reds, purples, oranges, yellows – name a colour, and the likelihood was that it was there. Suga could sit there and gaze at the view for hours, and it was even better that Daichi was there with him.

Things were going smoothly, and somehow Suga ended up on Daichi’s lap, making out with him passionately. They’d kissed before, sure, but this was deeper, more frenzied, even. It was definitely hot, that was for sure. Daichi’s mouth fit perfectly with his, their lips and tongues moving rhythmically. When they pulled away for air, Daichi didn’t hesitate to litter Suga’s jaw and neck with kisses, each light and soft, tickling the omega’s sensitive skin. Their scents mingled in the air, not too overwhelming as the soft spring breeze carried some away, but Suga could smell plenty.

And that was when it hit him.

“D-Daichi, stop!”

Immediately, the prince’s movement’s halted, and is head shot up, eyes scanning Suga with concern.

“What’s wrong? Is it too much?” Daichi asked, unable to hide the nerves in his voice. He was obviously worried that he’d gone too far and scared Suga away.

“N-no, but… it shouldn’t be so soon! I should have a week at least!”

“Suga,” Daichi’s firm tone cut through the omega’s nervous rambling. “Deep breath. Tell me what’s wrong.”

Suga did as Daichi said and took a deep breath, which may have been a bit of a mistake since he got a nose full of the alpha’s scent.

“M-my heat… it’s coming,” Suga answered finally, mortified that this was happening now, in front of Daichi. It was like his pre-heat had been fast-forwarded, speeding along, and he knew it wouldn’t be very long before his heat hit him in full-force.

The urgency of the situation finally dawned on Daichi, and his brain scrambled into a frenzy, trying to think of what to do. The worst part was, he couldn’t help him. Not yet. His father would certainly hear about it if he did, and he didn’t even want to think about the consequences there would be if he did. Best case scenario, Suga would be banished from Karasuno, and Daichi wouldn’t stand for that.

“Oh, oh my god, okay, stay calm,” Daichi rambled, doing the complete opposite. How could he not freak out? He’d never been put in this situation before. “Okay, I’m going to carry you back to your room and get Oikawa,” he explained, trying to calm himself whilst simultaneously trying to breathe in as little as possible through his nose to avoid being consumed by heat pheromones.

Suga nodded, clutching onto Daichi as the alpha lifted him and made a swift exit, taking the shortest possible route back to the guest wing. For Daichi, staying in control of his own instincts was fairly easy – for one, he had trained in self-control as part of his learnigs to be a level-headed leader. For another, he was more focused on getting Suga to safety, warding off any alpha’s – mainly guards – they passed on the way.

“I’m sorry, Suga. I really am. But I can’t stay,” he murmured to the shaking omega in his arms, Suga’s body temperature noticeably rising by the second. They finally arrived back at the omega’s room, and Daichi gently laid him down on the bed. “I wish I could, I really do, but you’d be the one in trouble, and I won’t let that happen.” Daichi’s self control was starting to waver as Suga’s intense, enticing scent began to fill the air, and he knew he needed to get out, and fast.

“D-Daichi, d-don’t be so-sorry,” Suga stammered, struggling against his own instincts, the heat coming on faster than he’d ever experienced.

Daichi brushed Suga’s hair from his face and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead before promptly leaving the room, shutting the door behind him.

Suga whimpered, curling in on himself and clutching his stomach. It hadn’t fully started yet, but the rising cramps below his abdomen told him it was coming, and fast.

Only moments after Daichi left, Oikawa burst in, concerned and flustered, carrying a small hinge-lidded box.

“Kou-chan, what happened? I could have sworn you weren’t due your hear yet! And I didn’t smell any preheat on you earlier,” Oikawa questioned, rushing over to Suga’s side.

“I d-don’t know!” Suga whined, rolling over to face Oikawa. “O-one minute I w-was fine, and th-then…” He didn’t need to finish the sentence, the ending obvious.

Oikawa was as baffled as Suga, but he didn’t let that stop him form making quick work of undressing Suga to replace the restrictive clothes with a feather-light silk dressing gown. He made sure to take off all of Suga’s jewellery before hurrying over to the bathroom, only to re-emerge moments later with a damp cloth.

“Here, lie back and let me put this on your head,” Oikawa instructed, gently pushing Suga down as he did. “I’m going to rub some of the balm on your chest, but first I need to know where your heat kit is, before you’re too gone to answer.”

Suga was only just about able to let Oikawa know it was under the bed, talking getting harder with the pain increasing. By now, his body was covered in a fine sheen of sweat, his undergarments dampened with the slick his body produced in anticipation of a mate that wasn’t coming.

Oikawa retrieved the box immediately, opening it up to make sure it was sufficient. Water, seeds and nuts, toys, it was all there. So he left that on the bed where Suga could reach it. He hen opened up the small box he had brought with him and took out a small metal tub containing the soothing balm.

This balm was a relatively new creation, made with oils and herbs that, when combined, created fumes that carried a scent that was somewhat soothing to omegas in heat. Something about it recreating an omega’s soothing pheromones? Oikawa would have stayed himself and continuously release his own calming pheromones as he was currently, but he knew Suga didn’t want him to. Suga hated anyone seeing him during his heat, saying he didn’t want to look weak, which was ridiculous because he couldn’t control it. That didn’t make him weak, but Oikawa still honoured his wishes and instead sought out this balm.

As promised, Oikawa rubbed a generous amount on Suga’s chest, somewhere it would release its fumes close to his nose, as well as over the scent glands on Suga’s neck and wrists.

When Oikawa had finished and put the tub back in the box, he made to explain that he was going to get some of his own blankets to help with Suga’s lack of a proper nest, but before the words came out he realised that Suga was too consumed by his heat to listen.

With an empathetic sigh, he left the room, making sure the door was shut tight, and went off to get his own blankets, and even enquire about getting one or two of Akaashi’s. The more the merrier.

As Oikawa was leaving, only one word came from Suga’s mouth, uttered with a pitiful whimper:

“ _Daichi…”_

 

\- ∞ -

 

When Daichi had left Suga’s room, he was panting. He had to support himself with an arm against the wall as he sucked in all the air he could that wasn’t filled with Suga’s heat pheromones. He didn’t know how he’d stayed to in control, really, when every fibre of is being screamed at him to go back in there and take care of Suga, to claim his mate.

The prince had to shake those thoughts out of his head, though. Once he regained some of his wits and was able to prevent any more growth in his undergarments, he determinedly rushed over to Oikawa’s room, begging in his head that the omegan prince would be in there, and frantically knocked on the door.

After too many knocks, the door swung open and an irritated Oikawa looked back at him.

“Where’s the fire, Daichi?” he asked sarcastically, annoyance permeating from him. Daichi wondered for a second if he’d interrupted something, but the urgency of Suga’s situation quickly drowned out that though.

“Suga! I was with him, and then all of a sudden he went into heat!”

Oikawa’s eyes widened as Daichi’s words sunk in, and he surged forwards, grabbing the alpha’s shirt collar roughly.

“I swear to every god in every culture, if you laid a _finger_ on him without permission-”

“I swear I didn’t!” Daichi cut in quickly, not letting Oikawa even finish the threat. “I took him to his room and came to get you!”

Oikawa seemed hesitant to believe him, but eventually let him go. “You, get Iwa-chan from my roo and take him to your room or somewhere away from here. I don’t want to risk any alphas smelling him. Make sure none come down this corridor, too. I’ll help Kou-chan,” he instructed, turning as serious as he is in meetings with Daichi’s father.

When Oikawa left him, first going into his room and emerging with a small box, then again to go into Suga’s room, Daichi was left with his thoughts. He felt really antsy, really _wrong_ , leaving Suga in such a vulnerable state. But Suga hadn’t asked for his help, and Daichi wasn’t going to let Suga get in trouble for something he had no control over if the alpha stayed and helped him. No, he was doing the right thing, leaving him to Oikawa’s care. He just had to quash the feelings of wrongness and carry on.

As he was asked to, Daichi knocked once again on Oikawa’s chamber’s door before stepping in. Iwaizumi was lounging in a chair, though the tension was clear because his court mate had suddenly disappeared with no explanation.

“Hey, Iwaizumi,” Daichi began, suddenly feeling an intense wave of fatigue. “So, um, Suga just went into heat all of a sudden, and Oikawa’s gone to help him. He told me to come and take you away from this area in case Suga’s pheromones leak out his room,” he explained.

Iwaizumi understood immediately and nodded before standing and picking up a book from the table beside his chair.

“I see. Well, I’ll head off to the library. I suggest you don’t wait around and torture yourself much longer.”

And with hat, the ever-stoic alpha left the room, leaving a drained Daichi standing alone in the other prince’s room.

After a few moments to collect himself, Daichi moved to leave the room but was halted wen Oikawa burst in again.

“Daichi! What are you still doing here?” he asked, the concern for his best friend evident on his face. That was, however, until the flash of an idea crossed his features and his eyes locked with the alpha’s. “Wait, don’t answer that. I have an idea.”

The omega’s words worried the alpha. What kind of idea was he talking about? Oikawa was notorious for being mischievous, and Daichi hoped at a time like this that side of him wasn’t going to rear its ugly head.

Luckily for Daichi, he didn’t need to ask because the other prince continued straight away. “When I’m in preheat, I nest with things that smell like Iwa-chan. It’s something my mother suggested and I didn’t understand why at first but I think it’s that the scent of the alpha an omega instinctually sees as a mate, consciously or unconsciously, is soothing during a heat. Maybe Suga’s heat started early because your scent was stronger when you were alone? Anyway that doesn’t matter. What I mean to say is, do you have anything like a blanket or pillow I can give to Suga that has your scent on it? It could help.”

Daichi’s brain was taking it’s time trying to comprehend everything Oikawa had said. Suga saw him as a mate? Or at least, his omega instincts might have. The alpha in him rejoiced at that thought, a pleasant tingle of happiness appearing within him.

Then he realised that Oikawa had actually asked him something.

“Oh, right, um, yeah of course. In my room. I’ll go get it – I don’t want him to be left alone when he can’t protect himself.”

Oikawa nodded and Daichi hurried off, fuelled by the urgency of helping Suga but also with renewed energy at the thought that Suga might accept him as his alpha.

In no time at all, he reached his bedroom. Thinking about what might help Suga the most, he grabbed a pillow from his bed and the shirt he’d worn that morning for training. He made sure to scent both just to be certain they both definitely held his scent, and hurried back to Oikawa’s’ room, where the omega was waiting, now holding two blankets.

“I brought these. I hope they’ll work,” Daichi said as he entered the room, a little breathless from hurrying back.

“These are perfect. I’ll let you know how he is later. For now, you should go. Maybe go for a run or something,” Oikawa suggested as he took the items from Daichi’s grasp and headed out his room.

So Daichi did just that. After changing his clothes to more exercise-appropriate apparel, he headed out to the training grounds to do laps around the perimeter and keep his mind off the omega he so desperately wished was in his arms right then. He didn’t even allow his mind to wander into thoughts of what exactly he could be doing to help, partly because he knew it would make him want to break down Suga’s door even more and partly because he didn’t want to be jogging with a boner. That would be uncomfortable in literally every sense of the word. No, the only thing he let himself think about Suga was concern for the omega, and even then he tried to keep his mind off of that.

 

\- ∞ -

 

Suga’s heat lasted four days.

Four days of pain and embarrassment beyond belief, for Suga.

In his more lucid moments, he was aware that his nose was pressed into a pillow that smelled of Daichi for most of his heat, especially while he was doing… things, to relieve himself, thinking of Daichi the whole time.

Knowing that mortified him. How was he going to be able to face the alpha again? Daichi would know, he was sure of it. He would know of the filthy things he did and thought while clutching Daichi’s shirt with his head buried in the incomparable scent of the alpha on his pillow. What would he think? He’d be disgusted, Suga was sure. The omega convinced himself Daichi would want nothing to do with him now. Now that he knew Suga was a slave to his instincts every few months like every other omega, and had soiled some of Daichi’s own possessions.

For that reason, on the fifth day, Suga refused to leave his room.

Oikawa, of course, had told him he was being ridiculous.

“Kou-chan, what alpha would _dislike_ knowing an omega used their scent during a heat?” he tried reasoning with him. “Besides, Daichi gave you those things because he wanted to _help_! You’re being silly.”

Suga couldn’t deny, Oikawa had some fair points. But that opened the door to another train of thoughts, and to Suga, those were even scarier.

“Fine, say that’s true, then why didn’t he take me? Why didn’t he take me, mate me, claim me like any other alpha would have? Am I that unappealing to him that he was able to keep a clear head when others would have turned frenzied?”

Of course Suga didn’t want to be mated against his will. Of course not. But the idea that Daichi had been able to resist him so much still didn’t sit well with him. Was he that undesirable that even his heat wouldn’t make the alpha want him? He didn’t want to face the answer, thus he didn’t want to face the alpha.

“He struggled against his instincts to keep you safe, Kou-chan. If you can’t see that, then I don’t know what to say to you. Just don’t push him away with your own assumptions. Daichi adores you, and if it were up to him, my guess would be that you’d already be his mate, so don’t you dare think he doesn’t want you, okay?”

Suga sighed. Why did Oikawa always go and have to be the voice of reason? “Okay, Tooru. I’ll speak with him. Just… not today. I’m tired and everything aches,” he groaned, moping in his freshly made bed, thanks to Akaashi. The other omega had also constantly checked up on Suga during his heat, and Suga couldn’t have been more grateful for his presence in the palace.

“Of course, Kou-chan. Rest, relax, and think about what you’re going to say before you start accusing the poor man of things that are so obviously not true.”

With that, Oikawa left Suga to himself. Suga knew his best friend was right. He was always quick to assume, and that was something he needed to work on, so maybe it really wasn’t such a bad thing to give himself some time to think of what to actually say.

The problem was, 24 hours wasn’t exactly a long time.

Too soon, Suga had slept through the afternoon and night, and the new day had dawned. He would have slept more, but Akaashi came in to wake him with a message.

“Suga,” he loudly whispered as he shook the other omega awake.

Suga grumbled and groaned, but eventually forced his eyes open to glare at the raven-haired omega.

“What is it?” he murmured, pushing himself up to rest on his elbows, squinting at the light filtering through the windows where Akaashi had clearly drawn back the curtain.

“Sorry about waking you, but it’s almost lunch already, and Prince Daichi sent a message saying he wanted to meet you. He didn’t specify where but he said you’d know the place?” The end of his sentence tilted up like a question, unsure if Suga really would know what he was talking about.

Of course, he did. Daichi wanted to meet at the balcony. Their spot.

Sighing, and now more fully awake, Suga pushed himself upright and climbed out of bed. “Alright, thanks Akaashi. I don’t mean to be grumpy,” he said in apology for glaring at the other, who only meant to help.

It wasn’t like Suga didn’t want to see Daichi ever again. He was just scared. Scared of what the alpha would say, and scared he would blush too much and give away his embarrassment at the things he’d done and thought.

With a slight tremble to his hands and the colour remaining drained from his face, Suga washed and dressed unaided, having dismissed Akaashi to go on ahead and join the others for lunch, knowing he himself wouldn’t be joining them.

As lunch drew ever nearer, Suga finally decided he looked presentable enough to meet with Daichi. He’d given up on trying to tame his hair, and instead just let it be as he forced his legs to carry him to the room where he’d find the awaiting prince.

It took a few deep breaths to gather his courage before he opened the door and stepped in, his lingering heightened sense of smell able to pick up the scent of the alpha immediately.

He couldn’t prevent it; as he’d predicted, heat flooded into his cheeks with the memories, but he pushed himself onwards anyway. He was no coward, and he would face Daichi even if he died from embarrassment.

“Suga!” Daichi spotted him immediately as soon as Suga was in view of the opened balcony door, and urged him to join him. A platter of cured meats and grapes and another with various breads and rolls were in front of the alpha, who seemed to have been sitting in the doorway to watch for Suga’s arrival this time. “How are you? Are you feeling well?” Trust the alpha to always be so caring and considerate.

“I’m fine now, thank you,” he replied with a small smile as he moved over to sit beside Daichi. “I’m sorry I ruined our date the other day,” he added, guilty that it had happened the way it did.

“What? No, Suga, never apologise for something like that. You can’t help it. Besides, I’d hardly say it ruined it,” Daichi urged, scooting closer to Suga’s side to fill the nervous gap the omega had left. “I still had a lovely time with you, as always. Were you worried about that?”

He didn’t know why he did, but Suga somehow felt compelled to confess everything to Daichi. Maybe it was because Daichi was just the kind of person Suga knew he could never keep anything from. The sweetheart was too genuine for Suga to hide things from.

“Not… not just that. I was thinking that maybe I’d ruined things, that you’d see me in a different way, or something like that. It’s silly, I know.”

“Suga,” Daichi began, his tone miraculously holding both a firmness and yet a complete softness to it. “Believe me, there is nothing you could do to make me see you any differently. Well, maybe murder, but even then it would depend,” he joked, making Suga giggle at his ridiculousness. “But seriously, if anyone was going to mess this-” he indicated between the two of them, “- up, it would be me for being stupid or something. So please don’t put yourself down like that.” He ended his speech by gently caressing the side of Suga’s face with a caring palm, his rich, dark eyes locked intently with Suga’s, effectively stealing the omega’s breath from his lungs.

“…okay,” Suga whispered breathlessly, before his lips were captured by the prince’s in the softest, most loving kiss he’d ever experienced.

“Good,” Daichi affirmed with a nod, a broad smile on his face. “Now, I don’t know about you but I’m pretty hungry, so shall we eat?”

Just like that, Suga’s nerves were gone. Daichi had that effect, able to easily make the omega feel instantly comfortable and forget about any irrational fears he had. Together, they cleared the platters and spent the rest of their time in each other’s company, finishing the date they weren’t able to last time. As per usual, though, Daichi had meetings to attend to all too soon, and he had to bid Suga farewell after walking him back to his room, being the gentleman that he was.

Parting with a kiss, Suga watched Daichi walk away and when he did, clarity filled Suga’s entire being.

He was absolutely, undeniably in love with Sawamura Daichi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's not Friday in Britain anymore, but it's still Friday somewhere and I call that a victory for uploading on time XD
> 
> Things are gonna start moving along pretty soon, mostly because I can't wait for all the things i have planned for this story! Might be getting serious next chapter, haven't decided yet, but I do want to bring in some action soon! They ain't in all these meetings for nothing, after all
> 
> Comments and kudos are much appreciated!  
> Thank you! Gracias! Danke! Spasiba! Gratzie! Merci! Arigatou! ...You get the point XD


	8. All My Scars Are Open

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 7 chapters of relationship development... time for a change of pace. Grab your tissues

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If this posts immediately, then sorry if it's still Thursday in your country - I'm moving out of my student halls on Saturday so gonna be busy packing and cleaning all day, so I'm posting it now (It's 2:40 am so technically Friday here). I set it to post on the 6th though and I think this site is running on an American timezone that I cba to change so might be on time after all. Idk
> 
> Title song - Impossible (originally Shontelle but I like the James Arthur version)
> 
> Lol I should look at my story notes more - saved myself from spending ages picking out a title by finding that I'd made a note of this one a while ago XD Been singing this like the whole time I've been writing the chapter too

“Your highness! Some pressing news has come from Karasuno Prison!”

Daichi had been working on some papers in his study while Suga sat beside him with a book, enjoying one another’s company in comfortable silence when a palace messenger burst in in a complete flurry of panic and urgency. It was completely against procedure, which told Daichi this was serious.

Lowering his quill, Daichi looked up, worry clear in his eyes. “Hurry and say it. If it’s not as urgent as you made it appear then get out of my sight.” Needless to say, he was going to be royally pissed if the greying man had spoilt their peace for a minor incident.

The messenger, who seemed to be slightly older than middle-aged and had worked in the palace for years, was visibly rattled. “There’s been a security breach! One whole ward of prisoners have escaped, and it seems to have been an inside job! Word has it that most were caught quickly, but there are still two prisoners who are unaccounted for.”

Daichi stood in shock. A security breach? An inside job? This was serious stuff, because not only did it mean there was a rat in their midst, but there were also two criminals at large. Suga looked up at him with worry, knowing how this panicked Daichi; the prince wanted nothing more than for the people of Karasuno to be safe and happy, and this news threatened that. Daichi’s eyes glanced down briefly when he felt the omega’s soft, cool hand slip into his own, offering him support and grounding him before he could get too worked up. What did he ever do to deserve Suga?

“Who are the prisoners? The ones who are still free. What are their crimes?” Daichi asked in seriousness. He needed to know how dangerous they were, because it determined how many men he needed to send to search for them.

As if he’d just remembered something, the messenger startled, then pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket.

“Ah, yes, of course. It says here that one is Makita Kazuo, charged with tax evasion, large-scale theft of a bank, public possession of an unlicensed weapon, and assault of a royal representative,” he read from the paper, glancing up to gage Daichi’s reaction.

The prince breathed a little easier, under the impression that Makita wouldn’t cause too much trouble in the time it could take to catch him. He couldn’t relax yet, though.

“And the other?” he pressed impatiently, feeling Suga’s thumb gently stroke over his own in a calming manner, which made him take another deep breath to cool himself.

“Ah, well, you see… the other is Nakamura Goro, found guilty of ten cases of murder with malice aforethought, twenty five cases of attempted murder, over thirty cases of theft, and multiple cases of assault, both of the physical and sexual kind. He’s one of the most notorious prisoners we have, and is registered to serve life imprisonment. He’s only served a little under eight years thus far and is thought to still be dangerous, so this case is considered to be of great urgency.”

What Daichi hadn’t noticed while he was listening, dread enveloping him with its icy touch, was how Suga’s grip on is hand slackened and his face blanched. The prince was about to speak once again, but before he could, Suga made a choking sound and stood so suddenly that his chair tipped over. He didn’t stay to see that though, because he fled from the room as fast as his legs would carry him, leaving Daichi confused and more concerned than ever. The only thing that stopped the prince immediately going after him was the urgency of what he needed to tell the messenger.

With a shaky breath, desperately needing to find Suga, he addressed the messenger. “Make sure this is on high alert, and get the message to Kuroo immediately. Tell him to organise task forces to search for Nakamura immediately, keeping an eye open for Makita too. All guards who go out must be in at least pairs. Go, now, and tell this to Kuroo!”

The messenger nodded in affirmation and immediately turned on his heel, rushing from the office to find Kuroo and relay the message. As soon as he did, Daichi hurried over to the door and rushed out. He needed to find Suga, and find out what startled him so much that he fled the room, leaving a burst of distressed pheromones behind him. At the very least, the scent of distress left a trail, making it easier to locate the omega, and it led right to the prince’s room.

 

\- ∞ -

 

He never thought he’d hear that name again.

The name that haunted his mind day and night for years. The man that flipped his world upside down.

And now he had escaped.

As soon as the messenger had uttered his name, Suga felt sick. The descriptions of his crimes just tipped him over the edge; he needed to get out of there.

So he ran. He ran to the closest bathroom to the study he knew of, which was in Daichi’s room, and fell to his knees at the toilet. Immediately, he heaved, coughing and spluttering as his stomach churned and emptied into the ceramic bowl. Hot, painful tears stung his eyes and trailed down his cheeks, and he couldn’t breathe.

He was on the verge of passing out when he heard footsteps and doors opening and closing, then a warm, gentle hand on his back as he cried and threw up.

“Shh, shh, it’s okay. I’m here,” the soft murmur of Daichi’s voice floated to his hears, somehow pulling him back from the brink of total panic.

They stayed like that a while longer, Suga kneeling over the toilet and Daichi gently rubbing soothing circles in his back, whispering calming reassurances, until Suga finally stopped feeling like he was going to vomit anymore.

“S-sorry,” he mumbled hoarsely, his voice still thick with tears but his throat raw and burning.

“No, don’t be sorry,” Daichi murmured calmly back before reaching over to flush the toilet. “I’m going to get you some water, okay?”

The warmth at Suga’s back then disappeared, telling him Daichi had gotten up, and he whimpered at the loss of comfort, left only with the cold tile beneath him.

Daichi crouched beside him moments later, holding a glass in front of him. “Here, drink this,” he instructed, and Suga nodded, taking the glass from him.

The first mouthful, he spat out into the toilet to clean his mouth, then sipped at the rest of the water, the cool liquid soothing his hurting throat. As he did, Daichi reached over and, with a careful hand, wiped away Suga’s tears, his calloused hand lingering on Suga’s cheek. His hand was warm and radiated comfort, and Suga couldn’t help but instinctually lean into the touch, his eyes fluttering closed.

It was Daichi’s deep voice that never failed to send shivers down Suga’s spine that broke the silence. “Come, let’s move to the bed. You should rest.”

It was true that Suga’s energy had completely drained from his body, and he felt dull and heavy. He nodded, letting Daichi help him to his feet and guide him over to the bed, careful not to go too fast or jostle him for fear of upsetting his stomach further. When they reached the large bed, Suga curled up on top of the sheets, resting his head on Daichi’s pillow and inhaling his scent to soothe him. Still, he was shaking and shivering, unable to stop himself.

Daichi, unsure what was wrong but not wanting to press him about it right now, simply made himself comfortable beside Suga and pulled the trembling man into his arms, holding him close.

Suga immediately curled into Daichi’s side and buried his face in the alpha’s broad, comforting chest. They stayed like that, Daichi offering silent support, until Suga began to calm down. He regained some of his energy, and had stopped shaking, but there was still a heavy dread weighing down on him. He owed Daichi an explanation, but he never thought he’d have to talk about it like this.

“Daichi?” he whispered hesitantly, barely lifting his head off the alpha’s chest to check if he was awake.

“Hm? You feeling better?” he mumbled in return.

Daichi was awake, which meant he couldn’t put it off any longer. He needed to say it. He needed to share this with Daichi. It was the only way he could heal, and with the scum at large, it might even be important.

Taking a deep, laborious breath, he sat up and turned so he was facing the prince, though he just couldn’t bear to meet his eyes when he spoke.

“Na-… Nakamura. He… he killed my parents, Daichi.”

He couldn’t help it; he wanted to be strong, but his voice cracked as he said it, and his already puffy eyes stung with the familiar prick of tears once more.

Daichi shot upright immediately, and Suga heard the prince’s sharp intake of breath, but he stopped the alpha from saying anything with a hand on his arm. He needed to say this, uninterrupted, because he knew if Daichi said anything he would lose his strength and burst into tears.

“I was eight,” he began, keeping his eyes downcast but feeling the burn of Daichi’s gaze on him. He had the prince’s full attention. “I lived here, in Karasuno, as a child. Then, when I was eight, my dad got into some trouble financially. He ended up trusting the wrong people, and they sent… _him_ , after my dad when he couldn’t pay them back. We didn’t know, my mum and I. We knew nothing. Not until… until he came for us. They wanted their money, so they found out where we lived and ransacked the house. Problem was, me and my mum, we were home. We tried to hide. We cramped into this little wardrobe, but of course he could smell us, smell our fear.”

He paused, swallowing the thick lump that had risen in his throat. Taking another deep, shaky breath, he mustered up the courage to continue.

“My mum, she held onto me, she told me to be quiet, but when he pushed the wardrobe over I made a sound. The last thing my mother said to me was to run, so I did. Daichi, I ran away. I left my mother there like a coward and ran away. I left her, and she’s gone.”

He couldn’t stop it; like a dam had burst, his tears flooded from his eyes as he let out a choked sob after trying so hard to suppress it. All the guilt, all the fear, everything just flooded back.

But this time, strong, capable arms enveloped him and he had a shoulder to cry on. He sobbed into the material of Daichi’s shirt as the prince held him close.

“No, Suga. Don’t even think like that. Is that really what you think? That you were a coward for running?” Daichi asked, his quiet voice thick with emotion. “You were a child, Suga, and you did what your mother told you. You survived, and I know she’s so proud of you for that.”

Suga heard everything Daichi said, and he just wailed harder, clinging to the alpha so tightly, like he would disappear if he didn’t. He’d always, for the past twelve years, felt like an awful son for running away, but what Daichi said… he was right. His mother wouldn’t want him to feel like that. She was the kind of mother who would give her life for her child’s in less than a heartbeat.

It was a long time before Suga finally exhausted himself, and he ended up snuggled into Daichi, breaths calmer as he drifted off to sleep. It was as he was on the precipice of unconsciousness that he heard the words that Daichi murmured, full of so much promise and passion, although quiet:

“We’ll catch him again, Suga. I promise you.”

 

\- ∞ -

 

Suga’s story cut Daichi to the bone. No wonder he’d reacted the ay he did when news of Nakamura’s escape reached them. The man had murdered his family, nearly murdered Suga, too. Just the thought of Suga going through all of that, and at such a young age too, sickened Daichi.

There was nothing Daichi could do to change the past. He knew that. What he could do, though, was make sure he did everything in his power to ensure the bastard was back behind bars for good.

He waited until Suga was deep in sleep to leave him, swathed in blankets, alone in Daichi’s room. Then, he was a man on a mission.

It took minimal effort to track down Kuroo, who had already sent out several task forces to search for the escaped inmates.

“Make sure everyone remains diligent,” Daichi emphasised once Kuroo had let Daichi know what the situation was. “Nakamura is an especially dangerous man, and we must stop a nothing to find him.”

Kuroo’s expression was calculating, and Daichi would know why by his question. “Dai, you sound really stressed. Has something happened?” he asked carefully, not wanting to rub Daichi the wrong way but genuinely concerned for his friend.

Daichi sighed. “That obvious, huh?” he asked, running a hand through his hair. “It’s not for me to tell, but… I can tell you this: Nakamura needs to rot in hell. He needs to be caught. It’s personal now.”

It took a second, but understanding flashed in Kuroo’s eyes. Daichi could only assume the other had hazarded a guess as to why it was personal, and he was grateful for Kuroo’s perceptiveness and lack of further questions. Instead, the bed-headed guard nodded in affirmation and clapped Daichi on the shoulder.

“Alright, bro. We’ll find him.”

 

\- ∞ -

 

Four days later, and nothing.

Suga had heard nothing of Nakamura, or even the other guy – was it Makita? – getting caught. From what the omega gathered through his time alone with Daichi and the talks he sat in on with Kuroo, Bokuto and the others, it was like the two criminals had vanished. Search teams had scoured high and low, checking treetops and basements and everything in-between. Nothing. here had been no records of anyone matching their descriptions crossing the borders out of Karasuno, either. It was unsettling on all parts, especially when new evidence had been found at the prison.

News came a mere 48 hours after the breakout that there was not only evidence of outside help, but that it had also been calculated. It was no accident that the breakout had happened, and that fact set everyone on edge. What was it for? Who helped them? There was so much to investigate, they didn’t know where to even start. It could take months to figure all that out, too, the duration of which was not a luxury they could afford.

Now, four days after the break-out, Suga was still rattled.

Oikawa had found out not long after Daichi and him, and had insisted on staying with Suga as much as possible. He would have stayed with Suga until the silver-haired omega fell asleep every night, except sleep wouldn’t come easily to Suga.

The first night, he’d remained in Daichi’s room. He’d panicked when he woke up, worried it would seem like a scandal and get Daichi in trouble, but the prince had been there to calm him and reassure him that he had nothing to worry about. What he only discovered later was that Daichi had, in confidence, relayed things as vaguely as possible to his father so the king wouldn’t be shocked if he caught Suga leaving the royal bedchambers.

After that night, though, he tried to sleep, and managed it for a little while until he dreamt, and those dreams were plagued with the memories of that night again, startling him awake into a shaking, crying mess. Oikawa had tried everything to get his best friend to calm down, but this was different to those other times. This time, the threat was real, and Oikawa was powerless to help him. So he did the only thing he hadn’t tried. He whisked Suga’s trembling form over to Daichi’s room. The guards stationed to watch the royal wing were so used to Suga’s presence by now that they let them through without a fuss, and Oikawa had been incessantly pounding his fist against Daichi’s door in no time. Daichi was a heavy sleeper, so it took a little longer than the prince of Aobajousai had liked, but Daichi was soon groggily opening the door. He’d been startled awake, though, by both the sight of Suga’s shaking fists gripping Oikawa’s nightshirt so tight his knuckled were as white as his face and the intense scent of distress he was emitting. That had led to Daichi immediately taking Suga into his arms and over to his bed while Oikawa explained about his nightmares. The two princes both sighed in relief when they saw the way Suga snuggled right into Daichi’s covers and almost miraculously fell into a more peaceful sleep. Suga was unaware of this, but Daichi and Oikawa had shared a look; if there was anything that proved with solidity that the omega in Suga had chosen Daichi as his alpha, it was that. But that was a conversation for another time.

Therefore, although completely against procedure and etiquette, Suga had been sleeping – only sleeping – in Daichi’s bed for the past few nights.

On the fourth day, Daichi had to attend urgent conferences with military officials from the neighbouring kingdoms about the escaped convicts to discuss the possibility of them fleeing Karasuno, while Oikawa had to continue the work he and Daichi had been doing together. Akaashi had also been given some free time since Suga was always with Daichi, so Suga was alone for the first time in a while.

It was unsurprising that Suga was absolutely terrified of the idea of leaving the safety of the palace, but at the same time he feltlike he was almost going out of his mind being stuck indoors for too long, so he decided to go for a walk around the palace gardens. They were safe enough, walled off from the rest of the outside world with several guards patrolling throughout. He needed some fresh air, and what better place to get some than the gardens littered with flowers?

It was on his way out that he bumped into Akaashi. Literally.

“Oof,” he let out when he collided with the body blocking his way and stumbled, falling onto his buttocks. He’d turned the corner too fast, of course, and came to an unexpected stop.

“Ah! Suga-san! Are you alright?” Akaashi asked frantically, the surprise causing him to revert back to his original formalities.

Once he got over the shock of the bump and realised it was Akaashi, Suga giggled and waved off Akaashi’s fretting hands. “I’m fine, Akaashi,” he reassured his attendant as he pushed himself up off the carpeted floor. “Sorry about that, are you alright?”

“Me? I’m fine. Thank you for your concern, Suga,” Akaashi replied, going back to ‘Suga’ but still bending ever so slightly into a little bow as he thanked the other omega. “Were you in a rush for something?”

Suga smiled sheepishly, replying, “No, not really. I just decided I’d go for a walk in the gardens and got a little bit excited, that’s all.”

Akaashi let a small smile form on his lips at that and nodded. “I see. Would you like some company?”

“Thank you, Akaashi, but I think I’d like some time alone. Tomorrow perhaps?” he offered, not wanting to seem like he didn’t value Akaashi’s company. He just needed a breather and some time alone with his thoughts.

“Of course. I shan’t keep you waiting any longer.” With that, Akaashi bid Suga farewell and the silver-haired omega continued on until he reached the balcony he had grown to love.

He took a few moments to just gaze out at the gardens from the vantage point of the balcony. Wisps of a light breeze ghosted over his skin and danced between the strands of his silky hair, ruffling it from its previously presentable state. He breathed it in, one deep, lingering inhale, letting the scent of cut grass and spring flowers carried by the wind reinvigorate him.

Once he exhaled, he began his stroll, descending the steps and picking a path to follow. As he walked, he let his mind wander, steering clear of any negativity. It was strange, he thought, how different his life had become in the few short months. Meeting the prince of Karasuno was an inevitability since he knew he’d be staying in the palace with Oikawa, but never in a million years would he have thought that Daichi would want to _court_ him. It was like someone had plucked a barely entertained wild fantasy from the back of his mind and made it a reality. Daichi was honestly the most perfect human being Suga had ever met. Ruggedly handsome, intelligent, compassionate, a commanding presence… he had it all. Thoughts of the alpha never ceased to make Suga’s heart beat harder and cause a warmth to spread through him. He felt it even now, as he walked beneath a canopy of cherry blossoms, the corners of his lips quirking up into a small, affectionate smile. How had he fallen so hard for someone so fast? _The_ Sugawara Koushi, who admittedly craved intimacy but feared the prospect of losing it, of losing another loved one. The very same man who vowed stay away from the prospects of love. Yet here he was, wandering down the pebbled path in the palace gardens, thinking about how utterly, stupidly in love he was with Prince Daichi, of all people.

‘Strange’ couldn’t even begin to cover what the past few months had been like.

Before another thought could enter his mind, he heard something. A rustle of leaves, more prominent than the light whisper of wind. He froze, heart rate immediately rising, pounding aggressively in his chest. Another rustle sounded, and he whipped his head round to see what it was, but before he could, someone grabbed him and clamped a hand over his nose and mouth.

Fiercely struggling against the hold of the person, he thrashed and tugged, but it was too late. Only then did he realise there was a cloth in the hand that covered his face, and as he did, the world went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I warned y'all in the tags this isn't gonna be a pure fluff story  
> Sorry this one was shorter than usual  
> Heads up: next chapter (depends) might contain some references to past rape/non-con and if it does (i've planned the chapter just not written it) I will alter the tags accordingly AND add a warning at the start of the chapter. It'll be one of those 'stop where it says... start where it says...' kinda situations meaning it can easily be skipped over if you don't wish to read it, but without spoiling, I think it's an important point to add for pungency (NO IT WILL NOT BE ANY OF MY BABY BOYS SO BREATHE A LITTLE EASIER)
> 
> p.s. no one tell my neighbours I used their name for a criminal XD


	9. The God Damn Devil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: chapter contains MILD REFERENCE/INSINUATION TO PAST RAPE (not a main character if you're wondering), VIOLENCE, AND SWEARING. You have been warned  
> To skip the rape reference/insinuation, skip from after " until the solid impact of a foot crashed into his side, and he cried out in pain." to "Everything was blurry, and Suga was"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title song - Save Me by Automatic Loveletter (a super underrated song if you ask me)

Daichi was exhausted. It wasn’t particularly that he’d physically done much recently, but he was mentally drained. Having two criminals running amok in the kingdom he was meant to eventually take over was stressful, to say the least. Four days after the news of the breakout, and they were running out of options. The most respite the prince got was at night, when he was able to see Suga and hold him until the traumatised omega fell into peaceful sleep. Daichi knew what the consequences could be if their sleeping arrangement was taken out of context, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care. What was most important was that Suga felt safe and comfortable, and Daichi would risk anything to make sure he did. During the day, however, he barely ever got to see his court mate recently because he was so busy trying to help with the recovery of the escaped convicts.

It had been a fair few hours since he’d woken up with the omega nuzzled into his chest, and as Daichi hunched over his desk writing what felt like the millionth letter that week, he couldn’t help but pine for Suga. There was something in him, something deep down, that begged him to go and find Suga and wrap him in his arms. He suppressed that feeling, though, knowing he needed to finish his work before he could.

When lunch came around, he hadn’t even noticed until a server knocked and presented him with a plate of food. He felt something was off in that moment; Suga would normally pop over to see him at lunch time, often bringing his own plate of food to join Daichi while the alpha continued to work. Yet, he hadn’t seen him at all.

 _‘He’s probably just running late,’_ he thought to himself, trying to convince himself not to worry. What was the likelihood that something was wrong? Very, very slim. That was what he thought.

It was when he’d finished his plate of food slowly that he began to feel the doubt bubble up, the worry weaving its way through his system.

Deciding it was as good a time as any to take a break, he set down his quill and stretched his limbs before getting up and going for a walk in the hopes of finding a certain silver-haired omega.

He’d been wandering around for a while before he checked the library. He couldn’t see anyone, but he could hear the scuffle of books being moved on the shelves.

“Suga?” Daichi called out questioningly, hoping it was who he wanted it to be.

Alas, it was a head adorned with black curls that popped out from the side of the bookshelves.

“Prince Daichi?” Akaashi responded. Realising who the presence was, he quickly stepped out from behind the shelves and bowed respectfully. “Your highness, was Suga-san not with you? He wasn’t at lunch and I assumed he was with you like usual.”

Daichi felt his breath catch in his throat. “You mean no-one’s seen him?” Daichi asked, trying to keep his tone calm.

Akaashi looked close to panicking himself. “No- well, I mean, I saw him this morning. He was on his way to the gardens for a walk when I passed him. That was the last time I saw him.”

“He went out alone?!” Of course, Daichi knew the palace’s security was thorough, and there were tall, robust walls all around the perimeter of the gardens, but would Suga not be apprehensive about going out so soon?

Akaashi was silent, having nothing to say for a moment. “I offered to join…” he finally added feebly, and it was obvious some semblance of guilt was rising in the dark-haired omega.

“No, this is not your doing. He may have just fallen asleep somewhere,” Daichi offered, more to try and convince himself than Akaashi at this point. “If you see Bokuto, or any of my men who have been present when you join us for meals, please tell them to keep a look-out for Suga and to come find me as soon as possible. I’m heading to the gardens to see if he’s there.”

Akaashi nodded eagerly, ready to help find his friend, before hurrying off out the library in the opposite direction to the grounds.

Daichi started at the most obvious place: _their_ place. He held his breath as he pushed the door open, his heart pulsing in his ears. Dust and darkness. That was all that greeted Daichi in the room of the balcony. Still, he pressed on, making his way over to the door. A miniscule flicker of hope lit within him when h saw the door hadn’t been locked, meaning Suga had come this way, but that was immediately doused by the realisation that it meant Suga had gone out but had not come back.

“Shit. Where are you, Suga?” he muttered under his breath, trying to keep himself together. If he wanted to find Suga, he couldn’t panic. He needed to remain calm and clear-headed.

The next hurdle came in the form of multiple winding paths. Suga could have gone down any one of them.

 _‘Breathe. Follow your instincts,’_ he told himself, pausing at the root of the diverging paths. So he did just that. He breathed deeply, and let his feet carry him down what he could only hope to be the right path.

It seemed he didn’t have to go far. Only moments later, the clatter of an armoured guard jogging over to him broke the silence and he turned.

“My prince!” the patrol guard exclaimed, sounding breathless. “A citizen has sent word of witnessing a hooded figure emerging from close to the palace walls carrying an unconscious young male with grey hair – that couldn’t be who I think it is, could it?”

Dread. Fear. Nausea. Intense rage. They all crashed down on Daichi in that moment.

“Send out every last man we’ve got,” Daichi gritted out between his teeth. “Find them. Get Suga back safely. Nakamura… retrieve him, dead or alive.”

The guard nodded and ran off towards the palace, sensing the severity of the situation.

As soon as he was gone, Daichi turned and slammed his fist into the nearest tree. He barely registered the primal cry that ripped from his throat as he did. How _dare_ they? How dare they even _think_ of touching _his_ omega?

That was it. No more sitting around writing papers. He was getting geared up. He needed to be the one to find Suga, and god help Nakamura when Daichi gets his hands on him.

This time, it was _personal._

 

\- ∞ -

 

Cold. That’s what he felt. He felt as though he was shrouded in a blanket of ice.

That was when his groggy mind caught up to him.

His eyes shot open, but he immediately squinted, the pain of the harsh light causing his eyes to water.

“Well would ya look at that,” a sneering, ominously lilting voice spoke from beyond the bright luminescence. “The sleepin’ beauty is finally awake. Took ya time, eh.”

That voice. It washed through Suga like ice water, and this time when he shivered it wasn’t from the temperature of the… wherever he was.

A dark silhouette appeared in front of him, the piercing light behind the figure making details indistinguishable. That was, however, only until the man’s face was far too close to Suga’s.

“N-Nakamura,” Suga spat, unable to keep his voice from trembling. Rage, fear, he felt it all. He couldn’t move, and the rough scratch of rope was wearing away at the skin on his wrists.

Without moving his face away, Nakamura let out a guttural guffaw, cutting through the silence raggedly, like a blunt knife hacking at a loaf of bread, and echoing off the walls.

They were indoors somewhere, then.

When he laughed, Suga felt his breath on his face, the rotting, putrid scent of his breath making the captive male gag.

“Ya know me, then?” Nakamura questioned, before grabbing a wooden chair from his side and dragging it over to sit directly in front of Suga. The legs of the chair screeched harshly as they dragged across what must have been stone flooring, and Suga winced. “How is that, princess?” he questioned with a revolting flirty tease.

Suga didn’t answer. He clamped his mouth shut. He didn’t answer to this man. He wouldn’t.

“I _said,”_ Nakamura growled as he lurched forward and grabbed Suga’s chin in a vice-like grip, alpha pheromones drifting to Suga’s nose, “how do ya know me?”

Suga gulped. His survival instincts kicked in; this man was a killer. Who knows what he would do if Suga continued to defy him?

“You killed my parents,” he growled venomously between clenched teeth, his eyes defiantly glaring into his captor’s.

Nakamura finally let go and leaned back, chuckling. ‘ _How dare he laugh?’_ Suga thought as he watched in horror.

“I did? I don’t remember. Must’ve been insignificant.”

At those words, Suga surged with rage, and he struggled against his bindings, trying desperately to attack the vile creature that sat before him.

Nakamura kissed his teeth and shook his head disapprovingly. His lack of urgent reaction just taunted Suga more. “Now now, don’t be so rash. Ya wouldn’t want ta get hurt now, would ya? Yer not the one we want, so who knows? Maybe I’ll go easy on ya and let ya go? Hm?”

“We? Who’s ‘we’?” Suga asked, picking up on that detail. And why would he have been taken if he wasn’t the target?

Nakamura exhaled through his nose, as though he was dealing with a little kid who asked too many questions. “Tha’s none of yer concern, so don’t ya worry yer pretty little head about it.”

Suga wasn’t going to just drop it like that. Besides, this was buying him time. The ropes around his wrists were shoddily tied, and he was starting to feel like they were close to loosening enough for him to slip out.

“You say I’m not the one you want. Who is? Who are you after?”

“You know, you ask too many questions,” Nakamura growled, getting annoyed now. He leaned closer again to sneer in Suga’s face. “If you weren’t so useful in luring Prince Daichi- shit.”

_Daichi._

They were after Daichi. Whoever ‘they’ were.

“You want Prince Daichi?” Suga asked, feigning incredulity. He even forced himself to let out a laugh. “Good luck with that. He won’t come after a nobody like me.” He tried to sound firm and self-assured. It was probably stupid to act like this, seeing as the prospect of luring Daichi in was the only thing keeping Suga alive, but he couldn’t let them get to Daichi. There was a chance they’d let him go if they thought he was of no use, and even if not, he believed it was better his life taken than Daichi’s.

To his dismay, Nakamura didn’t look even the slightest bit convinced. “Is that so? Because word travels fast, princess, and word is yer the prince’s court mate. I find it harder ta believe that he _won’t_ come for ya than I found yer claim he wouldn’t care.”

Suga was backed into a corner. He had nothing to say, nothing to counter Nakamura. He couldn’t deny it – Nakamura seemed too sure. Too sure that he was right.

“How did you know?” was what he ended up asking, some of the fight having left his voice. He needed Nakamura to keep talking. His hands were almost free.

“Let’s just say… those fellas in Da- I mean, those fellas I know have their ways of gettin’ ta know what they want ta know.” The sly grin he wore as he spoke made Suga feel like shards of ice were boring into him, chilling him to the bone. “Now, you jus’ sit there, an’ quit yer yappin’ with all them questions,” he grumbled, obviously fed up with Suga’s interrogations.

It was then that Suga felt the rope loosen enough for his hands to slip out, and without a moment’s hesitation he pounced on Nakamura. The force of the impact sent them both flying, the vile alpha taking the brunt of the impact to the solid ground with Suga on top of him. The omega punched and clawed at the monster in every way he could, eliciting a cry of pain from him.

“You little-!” Nakamura yelled, before he grabbed a fist-full of Suga’s hair and yanked as hard as he could.

The movement made Suga’s head whip back, and he hissed in pain, but then Nakamura’s knee collided with his stomach and all air rushed out of his lungs. He was flung to the side, and all he could do was writhe and scramble on the floor, wheezing and gasping for air until the solid impact of a foot crashed into his side, and he cried out in pain.

“You _filthy fuckin’ whore,”_ Nakamura spat as he continued to pummel Suga with attacks. “Know what? I _do_ remember yer ma. I remember how she _screamed_ when I fucked her. Always loved screamers, I did.”

The words burned into Suga’s brain, scarring worse than the hits ever could. But he was powerless to stop either.

Nakamura paused to yank Suga up by the collar of his shirt, shoving him roughly back onto the chair he’d been restrained to.

“Bet she never had a cock as big as this,” he sneered, standing in front of Suga’s face and grabbing his own privates, giving them a shake for impact. “Shame I ‘ad ta kill ‘er. Woulda made the perfect toy. So _wet_ and _loose,_ the fuckin’ whore. Bet yer jus’ like yer ma, eh? An omega whore with-”

Everything was blurry, and Suga was struggling to hold onto consciousness, desperately trying to block out those words. So when Nakamura stopped short, Suga didn’t know what was going on.

There was a big crash, some wordless yelling, and the cacophony of sound that could only be caused by a fight. Something deep in Suga’s gut alerted him that rescue had arrived. That he would be safe.

What felt like a lifetime but was actually only a matter of seconds later, a warm presence was at his side and immediately scooping him up into sturdy, muscular arms. That scent… the scent that enveloped him, it was the scent of _home._ The scent that said, _you’re safe. I’ve got you._

“Suga? Koushi? Koushi, please answer me!” the deep soothing voice urged quietly, but it only succeeded in lulling him closer to the edge of unconsciousness. He was jostled some more, a little more vigorously, which made his eyes fly open. “Koushi, come on, stay with me. Please, I’m begging. I need you to stay awake okay?”

Though his eyes were unfocused, he could vaguely make out…

“Daichi?” Even in his half-awake state, his voice sounded hoarse and weak to him.

The chest he was held against heaved in a sigh of relief. “Yes, yes Koushi, it’s me. I’m here. You’re safe,” the alpha smiled down at him, though the smile didn’t reach his eyes. Suga only began to realise that the blur beyond Daichi’s head was the blur of movement and not just his swimming, throbbing head. They were moving, escaping from whatever god-forsaken pit of hell he’d managed to be dragged to.

Now that his life was no longer threatened, and he didn’t have to be strong, Suga let himself cry into Daichi’s chest, clinging to the armoured alpha with what little strength he had left. He could be strong any other day. Today, he let himself cry. He deserved it.

That was when he remembered.

‘ _Yer not the one we want…’_

“Daichi!” he exclaimed, albeit weakly; he was in a lot of pain from Nakamura’s attack. “Y-you need to run! He s-said – he said I was bait! It’s you they want!” He was shaking even more now, trembling with the fear of what might happen to Daichi. He was only slowing him down, making the alpha carry him.

“Shh, it’s okay. It’s okay. I brought others. Nakamura’s been restrained. You’re safe. _We’re_ safe.”

The prince’s words did only little to soothe Suga’s fears. Only when the familiar sights and smells of the palace engulfed him did he begin to relax a little. Now, they truly were back to safety. Still, Nakamura’s words shook him to the core and nestled deep within him. What had his mother gone through before her death? He couldn’t even think. Even poking at that bubble of thought brought an intense nausea to him, and since that was the train of thoughts that were interrupted by the prince and his group, Suga was sure Daichi must have heard at least some of it. Enough to get the gist…

He was shaken from the dark thoughts swimming around in his mind when he felt softness replace the solid arms that had been carrying him, though the scent was unchanging. That could only mean he was in Daichi’s bed. Without even realising, he let out a small, terribly sad whine at the loss of Daichi’s arms around him, but luckily it wasn’t long before the presence returned.

Everything was a blur. Suga was vaguely aware that he was seen by a doctor, Daichi unmoving from his side. He could hardly stay conscious when he was then undressed and cleaned. When he was back in Daichi’s arms, he finally let himself succumb to the overbearing weight of exhaustion. His body felt numb, at this point, and he just needed to forget everything.

The trouble was, forgetting isn’t that easy.

 

 

\- ∞ -

 

The instant Daichi had been alerted that a potential hideout was found, he was there, pushing past people unforgivingly.

There was an old, unused store building on the outskirts of the town, and upon closer inspection they found a trap-door to an old wine cellar that looked as though it had been recently disturbed.

Kuroo had followed him loyally, as had Bokuto and a few other men, while others were still out searching elsewhere. Daichi was so focused on recovering Suga that the news of Makita’s recapture did little to ease his mind.

Once a quick plan had been formulated, they snuck in, deciding discretion was the best strategy until they could gage the danger level and whether or not they had the right place to begin with. The first thing they noticed was the drop in temperature. If he was down here, how long did he have to endure this?

What they heard, however, stopped them in their tracks for a moment.

“… _do_ remember yer ma. I remember how she _screamed_ when I fucked her. Always loved screamers, I did.”

A gravelly, venomous voice echoed through the dank, sordid basement from behind a wall in front of Daichi and his men. It would only take a few steps to round the corner and end it.

Daichi’s senses seemed to return just then, because he was almost knocked back by a wall of distressed pheromones. More critically, _Suga’s_ distressed pheromones.

“Bet she never had a cock as big as this. Shame I ‘ad ta kill ‘er. Woulda made the perfect toy. So _wet_ and _loose,_ the fuckin’ whore. Bet yer jus’ like yer ma, eh? An omega whore with-”

_Fuck. This._

Without a shred of restraint, Daichi lurched forward and sprang around the corner of the wall. It took him a millisecond to register the scene: Suga slumped on a chair, and Nakamura leering over him.

It was like a switch had flicked in his brain; he barrelled into Nakamura, knocking him straight to the ground. Nakamura went down harshly; like a paper weight falling from a table, his body impacted with the concrete ground heavily, the _“oof”_ of air leaving his lungs audible. Daichi managed to land a solid punch on the bastard before Kuroo managed to pull him off

“We got this, bro. He needs you,” the bedheaded alpha murmured to Daichi, looking him squarely in the eye while two men restrained Nakamura while he was still winded from Daichi’s attack.

Daichi nodded, intensely grateful for Kuroo’s friendship and ability to remain level-headed and logical in situations such as these. Without him, Daichi might have… well, who knows what he would have done. Instead, the prince turned and rushed over to a barely-conscious Suga, immediately scooping him into his arms.

The journey back had been equally extremely relieving and terrifying; relieving because he found Suga and Nakamura was going away for good, but terrifying because Suga could barely keep his eyes open and Daichi had no idea what Nakamura had done to him. Dark, angry bruises were already starting to blossom on his delicate skin, and his wrists were bloody, no doubt rubbed raw by the rough, unforgiving rope that had been bundled at Suga’s feet when he found him.

Daichi hadn’t wasted a second taking Suga to his own royal chambers, sending Bokuto off to fetch the palace doctor and bring her to his room to save time. He ignored any worried question or offered hand, all his focus on the deathly pale omega in his arms. When he reached his room and placed Suga on his bed, it felt as though his heart shattered at the pained whimper Suga let out, but Daichi resisted the urge to immediately join him, opting instead to first remove his heavy armour.

Shucking off the final piece, Daichi hurried over to his door at the sound of knocking, opening it to reveal the palace doctor, who was flanked by none other than Suga’s attendant, Akaashi.

“What’s his condition like?” Doctor Shimizu asked as she hurriedly flitted over to Suga’s side. She carried with her a large leather bag, and Akaashi followed with a metal box, a frown of worry etched into his forehead. Daichi supposed his own expression was hardly different.

“Barely conscious, he’s shivering… is he going to be okay? Did Nakamura do something?” Daichi couldn’t contain his desperation for Suga to be alright. He needed to know.

It was a tense time while Doctor Shimizu examined Suga and dressed his open wounds. Daichi had to restrain himself from growling when Doctor Shimizu elicited whimpers of pain from Suga to check the damages.

Finally, after what felt like an agonizingly long time, she drew back and turned to address the prince.

“Well for one, he’s in shock, which is to be expected. This is something that will calm in a few hours, but will take much longer to truly heal, if ever. As for his physical condition, it appears he has a fractured lower rib. This can take anywhere between three and six weeks to heal. He is not to overexert himself for that duration, and much movement all together should be avoided or cautious for a couple of weeks. Sleeping more upright is also advised. Other than this, some bruising, and the friction burns I’ve dressed on his wrists, he shows no signs of further complications.”

Daichi let out the breath he was holding. “Okay, thank you, Kiyoko,” he sighed, relieved to know he wasn’t dying.

Doctor Shimizu nodded and stood, fastening her bag shut. “I will prescribe something for the pain and have it sent here each morning. Both of you should rest.”

With no further comment, she left the room, taking her bag and the box Akaashi had carried, which had contained the bandages and salve, with her.

“Um, your highness, Daichi sir,” Akaashi began, and if he was honest, Daichi had forgotten the other omega was there. “If I may, I can clean Suga-san. I brought some of his night clothes.”

Daichi had no reason to argue, so he let the omega get to work. Akaashi fetched a pail of warmed water and a cloth from the bathroom and started to gently wipe away the blood and grime that stuck to Suga’s skin. The prince, as much as he would have like to help, granted Suga his dignity and turned away, letting Akaashi deal with removing Suga’s ruined clothes and replacing them with the softer silks of night clothes.

Daichi took that time to bathe himself. As he sat in the heated water of his tub, he let himself slump down. Suga had been through so much, both in his childhood and in the last 24 hours. Daichi didn’t know if he was suitable enough to offer his support, if Suga would want him to. These were things Daichi could not even begin to imagine. But the prince shook his head. No, he would not let himself think like that. He needed to be there for Suga, to offer everything he could to emotionally support the omega. There was no space for his own self-doubts. Suga had confided in him before; it was doubtless that he’d do it again. Suga was strong, a fighter, and Daichi needed to be there to remind him of that.

And then it hit him. The perfect courting gift. If he thought about it, really, it was the perfect time to have come up with the right gift. Something to lighten Suga’s spirits after all of this. Something to remind him he was not alone.

A little rejuvenated by the thoughts of his new plan, Daichi finished up in the tub and dried himself off hastily before slipping on some night trousers and re-entering his bedchambers.

Akaashi was still there, sitting beside Suga and holding his hand, but when he heard Daichi he looked up.

“I thought I’d wait until you got back to leave,” he murmured, cautious to be quiet so as not to startle Suga. He stood and made his way out, but as he reached the door, he was stopped by the sound of his name.

“Akaashi. Thank you,” Daichi whispered, and Akaashi smiled sadly before exiting, carefully pulling the door shut on his way.

Now that all was dealt with for the time being, Daichi cautiously climbed into bed and propped himself up against the headboard with pillows. He then very gently moved Suga onto his chest, letting the omega rest propped up against him as Kiyoko had suggested. He was reassured by the steady rise and fall of Suga’s chest that he was sleeping and very much alive.

Tomorrow would bring chaos and stress, but for that night, at least, he could rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll admit, the ending of this chapter is a teeny bit rushed but i wanted to get it out relatively on-time so sue me.  
> Hope you enjoyed! And if you're thinking I ended that issue a bit quickly, fear not. There's so much to come. Who are 'they'???


	10. I've Been Down the Darkest Alleys, Saw the Dark Side of the Moon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title song - Wolves - Selena Gomez ft Marshmello
> 
> There's a bit of time-skipping in this one, but hopefully I've made it clear enough so as not to confuse anyone.

The next day passed in a daze for Suga.

He woke up in Daichi’s arms, stiff and aching. The crust of dried tears tightened his cheeks and made it difficult to open his eyes at first, but when he did, a part of him wished he could sleep forever and never have to face the world again.

His stirring must have disturbed Daichi from his slumber, because the alpha started to shift below him before awakening with a groaning yawn.

“Mmh, Koushi,” he mumbled in a half-asleep slur, not quite back to the land of the living yet. His own mumblings, however, seemed to startle him into alertness, and he opened his eyes fully to see the pained yet slightly smiling expression on the omega’s face.

“Hi,” Suga murmured, a little embarrassed and not sure what to say. He tried to sit up a bit more but winced, hissing at the sharp pain in his chest that almost knocked the wind from his lungs.

“Woah, careful,” Daichi exclaimed quietly, sitting up himself and helping to ease Suga into a comfortable position, propped up by a mountain of pillows. “You’ve got a broken rib, so you need to take it easy.” It was almost a relieving moment, Daichi having to explain the medical examination Suga had received upon their return. It delayed the inevitable. The hardest conversation he’d have to have since he’d revealed his past.

“Daichi. I’m okay,” he interrupted softly, a gentle hand on his forearm. The alpha was clearly rattled, almost as badly as Suga, and the last thing Suga wanted was to cause the prince any more stress than necessary.

“But you’re not, Suga,” Daichi countered. It was obvious. He’d heard what Nakamura had said. Hell, he could see it in Suga’s eyes, dulled where the spark of life would usually be seen clear as day. “You’re not okay, and that’s alright. It’s okay to not be okay.”

It was like Daichi cut him to his core; he knew exactly what to say. He could read Suga like a book at this point, and Suga gave up trying to mask it. The tears spilled over before he could blink them away, and his shoulders slumped in defeat.

“I was so scared.” His confession was barely a whisper, a miniscule breath that somehow held everything Suga had felt last night, what he still felt. “And he said things, Daichi. Things about… things about my mum. Things about _you.”_

He had to pause, to swallow back the lump forming in his throat. His knuckles were turning white with how tightly he gripped the bedsheets beneath him.

Daichi shifted closer, taking Suga’s icy, tremoring hands in his own secure, warm ones. “I heard, what he said about your mother. There’s a chance he’s lying. He wouldn’t remember something from so long ago. Not a sociopath like him.”

Daichi’s words did hold some logic, and admittedly helped to quell the queasy sensation Suga felt from even starting to think about what Nakamura had said. It would take time, though.

“I didn’t hear what he said about me, though,” Daichi continued, drawing Suga away from regressing into his own thoughts. “Would you be okay to tell me?” He was cautious, not wanting to force Suga to relive anything potentially distressing but feeling it was important to know.

“I don’t even know,” Suga sighed, wiping away the tears that had strayed from his eyes. “Something about luring you in, using me as bait. Oh!” he exclaimed suddenly, remembering a detail he would have easily overlooked had Daichi not asked specifically about what was said of him. “He said ‘they’ and that he was hired or something. There’s got to be others behind this. Maybe the whole prison breakout, too.” The investigative aspect of his realisations succeeded in distracting Suga from his underlying anguish. He felt like an officer piecing information together, and frankly, it was a welcome change of topic.

Daichi seemed to catch on, and joined Suga’s speculating. “That’s… actually really important to know, and definitely something to look into more deeply,” he agreed, sitting a little straighter, more attentive. “Did he give any indication who this group could be?”

Suga shook his head, a feat that proved unwise as his head throbbed from the movement, dizzying himself. “No, I don’t think so, at least.”

“No that’s fine,” Daichi was quick to say. Heaven forbid he make Suga feel any less useful that the omega already felt. “You’ve already given me so much. Thank you.”

Small victories were all Suga could hope for at this point in his recovery, but this was one of them. A small victory, knowing he could provide _some_ help. Some small, infinitesimal scraps of what he remembered that could very well be vital information depending on what was discovered with their aid. That thought alone allowed Suga to feel a shred of hope, feel the gaping wounds in his heart and mind start to slowly, laboriously, but surely scab over. He could only pray that the only remnants would be faint scars.

The rest of the day passed with Daichi, much to Suga’s dismay, attending to the aftermath of the previous night’s events. He was not left alone, though. As if Oikawa would allow that. No, despite Suga’s unspoken desire to sleep the day away with Daichi at his side, he had to endure the company of his best friend and his newest friend. Not that they were exactly unwelcome; he loved Oikawa to bits, the overtly flamboyant and self-assured prince who also would not hesitate to slice down anyone who threatened his friends’ safety, and Akaashi was swiftly finding his own place in Suga’s heart as well. They came bearing blankets, platters of chocolates and pastries, and steaming mugs of tea, both with the mere intention of keeping Suga company. Never did either pry or even mention the plight Suga had foregone, instead letting Suga decide how much he wished to share and when. Of course, he ended up telling them most of it, recounting what he’d filled Daichi in on that morning. Details such as how he broke free of his restraints to unleash his fury on the scum who did not deserve the title of man were highlighted in particular, Oikawa making a point of almost brushing it off because _of course_ Suga would not just sit there like a helpless damsel and wait for aid that wasn’t certain to come. How could anyone expect any less from the fierce, fearsome Sugawara Koushi?

“Oh, that reminds me. Doctor Shimizu gave me this,” Akaashi remembered with a startle, only to perk up and retrieve a small vial of milky liquid from the pouch at his waist. “It’s more of the pain-relieving serum she had Daichi give you this morning. She thought you might need a top-up at some point, and said it was better you had some at hand rather than having to suffer whilst you wait for someone to get some for you.”

Suga gratefully accepted the vial, placing it on the nightstand beside him, though not without curiosity. “You seem friendly with Doctor Shimizu,” he pointed out almost accusingly. “From what the boys have told me, she’s not the most talkative outside of her work.” It was true that the topic had arisen before. Specifically one breakfast when Tanaka turned up with a bandaged arm, the result of a slip of the hand when putting away some training equipment. He boasted Doctor Shimizu saying his name and even reprimanding him for his clumsiness, as though that was something to be proud of. Suga had brought this to question, and that was when he first learnt of the excellently skilled doctor of few words that everyone fawned over but no one could hold a conversation with. A female alpha, no less, and one that took her job very seriously.

Akaashi’s reactive expression was rather bashful when he nodded. “I suppose so. In some of the free time you’ve granted me, I have been offering her my assistance in the infirmary. In return, she mentors me in the ways of medicine. It’s very much a personal interest, an indulgence, if you will, but I’ve always wanted to feel useful. I want to be able to help people, even if it’s minor, and with you enjoying training with the others it means I would be able to help if any harm came to you.”

Akaashi spoke so admirably, it caused a sense of pride to swell in Suga’s chest. Pride in the opportunity he had helped Akaashi to grasp.

“Wow, Akaashi. That’s so noble of you.” When he spoke, Suga conveyed not a single hint of sarcasm or animosity. He was genuinely happy for Akaashi, for the other was finally finding a purpose in life, a goal to aspire to and work towards, which Suga knew he had lacked in his life before his employment at the palace.

Akaashi, having been prompted by both Suga and Oikawa, spent some time describing his work in the infirmary and all the new knowledge he was gaining, and when he was done Oikawa took over in spilling some fascinating gossip on the goings on within the palace walls such as which maid had her eye on which guard and so forth. How Oikawa had become privy to such information, it was anyone’s guess. Oikawa seemed to always be such a wealth of social knowledge that Suga was starting to think that the whispering of sprites or some such creature was not so far fetched.

Whatever it was, it succeeded in keeping Suga’s mind in the presence and lifting his mood despite how he winced each time his own laughter disturbed his fractured rib.

Lunch and dinner were both brought to Suga, being that he was on strict bed-rest for the time being. It delighted him that Daichi returned to his chambers to join Suga for the meals, keeping him company and gracing him with the humorous tale, courtesy of Tanaka, of how Kageyama had completely coincidentally happened upon the runaway, Makita, and almost let him get away because of a… distraction.

By the time night fell and sleep began to consume the inhabitants of the palace, Suga had decided he wasn’t going to let the past events hold him down. Everyone was there for him. Everyone supported him, offering their ear to listen and shoulder to lean on, and that gave him the strength to strive to be stronger, to face his demons head-on and not cower in fear.

Within a week, he was allowed to start moving around again, though it was a slow and arduous task at first.

Within the month, he was already feeling much better, the pain in his chest tempered to more of a dull ache, and his mind in a much better place. His parents’ killer was locked away for good, transferred to the maximum-security prison on an island off the coast of the kingdom of Shiratorizawa where he would live out the rest of his miserable days. That fact gave Suga the closure he needed to put the past behind him, and he was a stronger, healthier person for it.

Oikawa and Daichi had kept Suga updated the whole time as to any further information in regards to the people who’d wanted to capture Daichi, but the progress was frustratingly minimal. So much so that the investigation had been put on the backburner, more pressing political matters taking the forefront instead. One that had been of more interest to Suga was the newly-budding alliance between the Karasuno and Nekoma kingdoms. Emerging from decades of rivalry, distaste and distrust, the old King Nekomata appeared willing to put such childish competition behind them and forge a new alliance with Karasuno and, subsequently, Aobajousai, effectively fortifying the strength and defence of each kingdom with the aid they would promise to provide in the event of a war. Kuroo had expressed his excitement from the news one breakfast, revealing that Nekoma was his home kingdom and that he still had family there. An alliance would mean easier access between the kingdoms and thus the potential to visit his grandmother, aunt and cousins. News of a representative, a highly intelligent royal advisor, visiting Karasuno in the near future to settle the treaties that would need to be signed reached the palace fairly soon after Suga had learnt of the potential budding convergence, which meant there was a fresh hum of excitement throughout the palace as maids and guards alike set to work in preparing for the guest. After all, first impressions were imperative.

Overall, things were looking up. Regular check-ups with Doctor Shimizu revealed he was healing nicely, and since it had been about a month he would soon be able to get back into some light exercise. Combat training would have to wait another couple of months or so though, since he wouldn’t want to risk re-injuring himself.

Of course, he still sometimes got nightmares, memories of both old and new events, but now he would wake up with Daichi by his side, uncomplaining as he soothes Suga back to a more peaceful sleep. He was just thankful he was still permitted to sleep in the prince’s quarters, though he wasn’t sure how long that privilege would last seeing as he was getting better by the day.

By the time April came to a close and the final month of spring rolled in, things in the kingdom of Karasuno had calmed down considerably and the previous month’s disasters were as good as forgotten for most. It didn’t stop Daichi, and even Oikawa, from still being ever-busy, constantly in meetings or writing letters, visiting small villages or sorting out taxes. The longer they stayed, Suga started to dread the topic of the inevitable return to Aobajousai. At this point, he was starting to think that wouldn’t be such a simple endeavour as it would have a few months prior. Now, he was realising there was another option, a reason to stay. That was a decision, a conversation, he knew would be faced with trepidation.

One evening, however, kept such thoughts from his mind.

It was the first night in far too long that he and Daichi were able to have dinner alone together, away from responsibilities or the boisterous laughter of Daichi’s comrades. Instead of their usual spot on the balcony, they were in a smaller room due to the rain outside. It was a cosy, candlelit room with a table to eat at and a plush red velvet sofa against one wall, shelves of books behind it and a fireplace to the right that provided the majority of the light and heat of the room. The crackling of firewood encased in the gently dancing flames was drowned out by the laughter of the room’s two occupants.

Suga was giggling as Daichi tried to feed him a forkful of a chocolate-coated desert, and his shaking laughter meant Daichi’s hand slipped, wiping some chocolate across Suga’s cheek in the process. That only set them off more, Daichi unable to contain his own laughter while Suga was clutching his side, having laughed so hard he’s given himself a stitch.

“I guess,” he began, his laughter tapering off as he gasped for air, “you were never good at colouring _inside_ the lines. Your aim is awful.” Again the room was filled with the sound of Suga’s beatific laughter, a sound Daichi would swear could lift the spirits of any man, woman and child.

“Yeah, well if you weren’t _moving_ so much, maybe I wouldn’t have missed!” he retorted defensively, though completely light-heartedly, still chuckling himself. “Here, let me,” he then said with a much softer timbre, leaning closer. With his thumb, he wiped off the chocolate that had painted a streak on Suga’s cheek, and automatically popped his thumb into his mouth to lick it clean. If he’d kept his eyes down for just a second longer, he would have missed the distinctive blush on Suga’s cheeks while his gaze was fixed to the alpha’s mouth, no doubt letting his mind run wild.

Notably sensing the change in atmosphere, Daichi cleared his throat, leaning back to gather himself.

“Listen, Suga. I realise it’s pretty late, but I got you something,” he began bashfully. “A courting gift, if you will. I just hope you like it.”

The omega’s interest was piqued, his head tilted in curiosity. “Really? What is it?” he asked, his eagerness completely conspicuous.

Daichi stood and walked over to the sofa, indicating for Suga to follow. “I’ll show you,” he replied with a smirk as he crouched by the sofa and reached under it.

That _really_ piqued Suga’s interest, seeing as the most common courting gifts were jewellery, which was easily concealable in a pocket or pouch. Daichi having hidden his gift under the sofa led Suga to believe it wasn’t a pendant he was receiving.

“I was thinking,” Daichi continued, pulling something long and wrapped in cloth from under the sofa, shifting to then sit on one side of the seat, “that I wanted to get you something meaningful, and as gorgeous as you look both with and without jewellery, I didn’t think that would cut it. Then, with everything that’s happened,” he said while he began to unwrap the cloth, Suga perching on the sofa beside him, watching fervently, “what with you being the strongest person I know, it hit me. I needed to give you something that encapsulated your strength, your honour, everything good about you. So, I called in some favours and…well, here. I had these made just for you.”

Daichi placed the now-loosely wrapped bundle in Suga’s lap, and when the cloth fell away he gasped.

He was completely taken aback, all his expectations completely falling away, making way for the most _perfect_ gift he could ever have received. Even in his dreams he would have never expected such a beautiful gift, for what lay in his lap was a magnificently crafted traditional katana sheathed in the most elegantly, intricately decorated sheath he had ever laid eyes on, and a wakizashi to match.

The hilt was wrapped with tightly-wound black silk, crossing over in an intricate pattern until it was met with a simple yet elegant tsuba, a cluster of cherry blossoms engraved in the dark circular metal. A similar design coiled in circlets around the lacquered wood of the scabbard at the two ends, filled in with gold leaf, leaving the bulk of the sheath blank, the black-stained grain of the wood leaving its own natural design. Upon closer inspection, the wakizashi was identical, just smaller, obviously. That in itself was such a rarity that Suga felt as though he was not worthy to be in possession of such a set.

He was speechless, eyes wide and mouth agape, staring in awe at the gifts.

“It’s a full daishou, worthy of only the mightiest warrior, and it was made specially for you,” Daichi explained softly, pleased with the sparkle he witnessed in Suga’s eyes. “I’m hoping you’ll never have to use them, so I ordered for a wall-mount to be made for them, but they are fully-functional. Y’know, just in case.”

Spurred on by a rush of emotion, Suga set the swords beside him and surged forwards, flinging himself at Daichi to wrap his arms around him in the tightest, most grateful hug he could muster.

“Thank you, Daichi. _Thank you._ It’s perfect.” He pulled back far enough to rash his lips to Daichi’s, who although shocked by the sudden impact was quick to respond, melding his lips with Suga’s in a slow but passionate kiss.

“I’m so glad you like them,” Daichi whispered once they broke apart, Suga still catching his breath. The most genuine smile graced Suga on Daichi’s lips, and Suga could literally feel himself fall deeper in love with the man in front of him.

“Like them?” he retorted to stop himself saying something that might make a fool of him. “I _love_ them! Daichi, you realise not even actual _soldiers_ normally have identical swords to make up their daishou? And they’re so _beautiful!_ How could I _not_ love them?!” To show Daichi just how grateful he was, he locked his lips to the alpha’s again, pouring all his feelings, all the pent-up emotion his body could hold, into the kiss. He could only hope Daichi got his message.

Which he very much did.

The alpha kissed back, leaning in and deepening the kiss. The passion in this kiss was quite different to the previous one, more… sensual and arousing. Daichi’s hands gently gripped Suga’s waist, wary of his tender chest, moving lower to his hips. Suga gasped at the firm touch, a spike of pleasure reaching his gut, driving him to close any remaining distance between them. Daichi took Suga’s moment of surprise to slip his tongue into the omega’s mouth, turning the already passionate kiss into a much hotter one. Without breaking away, Suga gripped Daichi’s shoulders and swung his leg round so he was now straddling the prince’s lap, their chests almost touching from the shortened proximity. Unable to stay tempered any longer, a small, titillating moan escaped Suga’s lips, only to be swallowed by the alpha’s own lips in the heat of the moment.

“God, you have no idea what you do to me,” Daichi murmured breathlessly, breaking the kiss only to latch his lips onto the omega’s sensitive neck, eliciting a spine-tingling shiver from the new sensation.

Breathing heavily and battling with his will to stop from rolling his hips whilst still straddling Daichi, Suga could only murmur back, “We- ah! We shouldn’t… It’s not proper.”

With fierce movement, Daichi stopped kissing every inch of Suga’s exposed skin to look him directly in the eye. “Then marry me.” He spoke with such conviction, his voice low and gruff with the raw emption it held. He shifted so Suga was now perched next to him on the sofa, legs still draped over his own, so he could be at eye-level with the omega. “I know what I want. I know there’s no-one – _no-one –_ who could change my mind. You don’t have to answer me right away, but know I mean this from the very core of my being:

I love you, Sugawara Koushi. Will you marry me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *drops chapter and runs*  
> Nah but for real, please do let me know what you think! I appreciate some might think it's a little early but there are several things in play for this. 1) it is a medieval-esqe/inspired setting, in which it wasn't uncommon for people to marry someone they hadn't even actually met so... also they're super duper in love XD 2) Daichi is 1000% sure Suga is his soulmate so why wait? Plus with the pressure from his dad... it just makes sense. Anyway, hope no-one's annoyed by this decision.  
> P.s. I did a fair bit of research on japanese traditional swords, but if it's unclear just google the stuff I've mentioned. Speedy summary: a daishou is a set made of a big and small sword, often a katana and a wakizashi (but not always). Used by Japanese samurai, they would normally be made of mismatched swords, often obtaining one before the other, and only in very rare cases did they match, something only royalty or such like would own. Basically, Suga's super special :)
> 
> ALSO did someone say pretty setter squad?? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
> 
> (disclaimer: un-beta'd so excuse typos)


	11. Interlude: Bring Me Sunshine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title song - Bring Me Sunshine - The Jive Aces version
> 
> We interrupt your regular scheduling of angst with smidgens of fluff for an interlude of adorkable birbs. Please enjoy!

Hair as radiant as the sun. Presence even more so. From the moment Kageyama laid eyes on the boy, the personification of energy and… well, _radiance,_ his world was thrown off-kilter. Where once was dullness and monotony, colour and light and the unpredictable had ruthlessly raided, and Kageyama was powerless to stop it. The instant Hinata Shouyou had literally _crashed_ into his life, Kageyama knew it would never be the same.

The festival, arranged to celebrate the crown prince’s birthday, was the first turning point. He’d been out patrolling, walking amongst the crowds to ensure the celebrations were proceeding smoothly and no-one was causing any trouble, when all of a sudden he felt a body bump right into him, close to knocking him off balance.

When he looked down, a boy with hair the most unique, brilliant shade of orange Kageyama had seen was on the ground, obviously pushed down by the force of his collision. Before Kageyama could offer his arm to help him up, though, he sprung up and brushed himself off.

He looked eager to get going again, so to make sure he didn’t get in any other accidents, Kageyama stepped in front of him and said, “Hey, watch where you’re going, kid.” The words may have come out harsher than he had meant, but he reckoned he got his point across.

“I’m not a kid! I’m eighteen! And I have a name, for the record. It’s Hinata Shouyou,” he practically yelled, angrily at that.

Kageyama had been sure he was young, he was so small, so when Hinata announced his age was the same as his, Kageyama was a little embarrassed. That, plus the fact that the energetic, irritated small male had a very aesthetically pleasing face, caused heat to rise in the alpha’s cheeks. Hurriedly, he bowed to apologise, hoping the action would hide the possibility of that heat being visible.

“My apologies, Hinata-san,” he mumbled, abiding by the rules of politeness he’d been taught by Tanaka-senpai. But when he rose again, Hinata was gone. All that remained as evidence that Kageyama hadn’t dreamed the interaction was the sound of the boy’s voice calling out a name, something like ‘Natsu’. Kageyama would have searched for the boy and helped him look for whoever he was calling for, but he was called over at that moment by Tanaka-senpai, who had spotted an argument between two vendors selling similar merchandise and decided it was a good opportunity to teach the young guard-in-training how to deal with petty squabbles.

Needless to say, Kageyama had some serious thinking to do that night.

It wasn’t like the alpha didn’t have… urges. In that regard he was like any other young man, harbouring a body full of hormones that he struggled to control at any given moment. He’d just never really felt like, well like _that_ about any particular person. It was to the point where he’d started to wonder if he was broken, especially when the other guards would talk about their relationships or mutter their appreciation of a passing beauty and Kageyama couldn’t find it in him to relate. But now… it was like he’d been asleep all his life and he was finally awake, roused only by the bundle of sunlight that had bumped into him that fateful day.

The only problem was he had no way to contact him. Well, that and his distinct lack of ability to function as a normal human being in social situations that were not involving work. How would he even talk to the guy? What would he even say? Sorry I called you a child, let me take you out for dinner? That was just a recipe for disaster! No, it wouldn’t matter that he couldn’t contact Hinata again, because he was sure to make a fool of himself if he could.

So why was he unable to stop thinking about him?

Days went by, months even, passing by in the blink of an eye, and Kageyama could still not shake the stirring within him every time his mind brought the image of the boy to the forefront. It almost felt like he was going insane, mind always going back to Hinata in the end. He was just about ready to ask to be put on street patrol to give himself a better chance of happening upon the boy, but things turned sour in the kingdom and his duties came first.

When news of the prison break-out reached the palace guards, he was immediately assigned to a search squad to find the escaped convicts. Search squads were small in number to increase the amount of groups that could go out and search, thus increasing the efficiency and probability of finding the two men. His team consisted of Tanaka, the angriest-looking guard he’d seen which he learnt that day was called Kyoutani, and himself. He had almost forgotten the prince of Aobajousai had brought guards with him before he’d met Kyoutani, but although he had a fierce expression and the nickname ‘Mad Dog’ amongst friends and foe alike, he didn’t seem to be that bad a person. Kageyama guessed he just hadn’t yet witnessed his bad-side. What else could have caused him to garner such a nickname?

The shifts those few days were painful, to say the least. They had to be up at the crack of dawn, have a quick, purposeful breakfast, and then they were out until lunch. After lunch they had to resume their duties in the palace while other search squads took over in the afternoon. It was unsurprising, therefore, that Kageyama hadn’t been getting a whole lot of sleep by the time day four came around.

He was feeling particularly sluggish that morning, perhaps becoming slightly under the weather from the high-intensity work factored in with the lack of sleep recently.

“Keep up, Kageyama,” Tanaka-senpai called back to him, prompting Kyoutani to nudge Tanaka-senpai rather roughly.

“If you keep shouting like that, you’ll give us away and we’ll never find them,” Kyoutani grumbled, which made Tanaka-senpai smile apologetically, acknowledging that he was right.

It was still very early, the brisk breeze of spring air encompassing them in a chill, but they had to press on, to keep the kingdom safe. This time they were journeying to the east, towards the mountains that bordered that side of the kingdom. As they walked, taking long, purposeful strides, Kageyama noticed the houses became less packed together, instead becoming sparser. Fewer vendors were seen throughout the houses like they were closer to the palace, and it was clear they were entering the suburbs.

Finding an area that may not have been checked before, the three decided to split up their search but remain within earshot so they could call for help if needed.

Although the area was more rural and the houses were slightly more spread out, there were still plenty of houses grouped together and plenty of hiding places for an escaped criminal.

It was a good ten minutes or so into his search, having thoroughly searched a few gardens and alleyways, when he heard something. It sounded like movement, the movement of someone who did not want to be heard, and that put Kageyama on high alert. However, he would have been on higher alert if he hadn’t heard the gasp behind him.

“Hey! You’re that rude guard!” an irritated voice called accusingly from behind him, just as he was turning a corner.

In hindsight, he should have been more professional. He should have ignored the voice, put the task at hand first, and face the consequences later. In the moment, though, his instincts flared and his head whipped round to see none other than the orange-haired Hinata Shouyou.

It was also in that precise moment that another body crashed into his own, knocking both parties to the ground.

“Oi! What the –” Kageyama began before realising whose body he was currently tangled with. The face matched that of the drawing they’d been briefed with.

Makita.

“Oh! Are, ah, are you guys alright?” Hinata asked cluelessly from the gateway of what could be presumes as his house’s front garden. He even made to come and help the two men up, but Kageyama’s eyes caught his big, innocent caramel ones just in time.

“Stop! Don’t come any closer!” the guard barked out in a commanding tone, though not daring to even attempt to use an alpha command. Even if he had been in Hinata’s presence enough to know his secondary gender, which he had not, he would not risk causing any further distress. Hinata was still taken aback, but confused enough with the situation not to question the alpha.

“Tanaka-senpai! Kyoutani! I’ve got Makita!” Kageyama then called, almost as a second thought. The convict in question was struggling, trying to get up, but Kageyama managed to get into a good enough position to keep him pinned down, using the strength of his thighs to help keep the man’s limbs locked at his sides.

Hinata took a step back, realisation dawning on his cute little face. “Makita? As in, the thief who escaped a few days ago?” he asked in trepidation, starting to understand the magnitude of the current situation.

Kageyama whipped his head round, glaring through his exasperation. “Yes! So can you _please_ stay back for your own safety?”

Makita, sensing the momentary lapse in Kageyama’s concentration, used that to his advantage and managed to overthrow the guard, shoving him aside and scrambling to his feet. Kageyama became disoriented, but had enough of his wits about him to call out.

“HE’S GETTING AWAY!”

In just the nick of time, Tanaka-senpai appeared at the end of the street, blocking the escape route Makita had been trying to take. That gave Kageyama the time he needed to hoist himself up and charge at the convict, tackling him to the ground in an almighty _crash_ of armour, stone and flesh.

“Nice work, Kageyama,” Tanaka-senpai congratulated whilst towering above the two with is hands on his hips, grinning almost menacingly. “But next time, try to _not_ let the guy you’re detaining go. Okay?”

Kageyama huffed in annoyance, mostly directed at himself for doing just that. He’d allowed himself to get distracted, and as a result almost let an escaped convict slip right through his fingers.

“Sorry, Tanaka-senpai,” he murmured as he moved away, letting his senior handcuff the defeated criminal.

As if realising he was there for the first time, Tanaka-senpai glanced over at Hinata, who had been watching the whole time, either oddly fascinated or paralysed with shock. “Fear not, young citizen!” he announced loudly, his voice ricocheting off the surrounding walls of houses. “This man will not roam the streets any longer! Although we do not know the status of Nakamura, we can assure you that this man will be going away for a long time.”

Hinata gazed at Tanaka-senpai like he was a celestial being, a sight to behold, and nodded eagerly. “Thank you, mister!”

Tanaka-senpai’s cackle boomed all around them as he looked at Hinata with a prideful glint in his eyes. “Not to worry! Just call me ‘Tanaka-senpai’, young man.”

Hinata didn’t even attempt to correct Tanaka-senpai in the way he’d corrected Kageyama’s inference of his age. Instead, his lips spread in a beaming grin, like that of a child meeting his idol, and he replied, “Yes Tanaka-senpai!” with almost equal volume and twice the energy, even bowing deeply at the older man. Say what you will, Tanaka-senpai never failed to gain what authority he could, and Kageyama admired him greatly for it.

It was only then that Kyoutani turned up, his breathing a little heavy from exertion having widened the range of his search a little too far.

“Which one’s this again?” he asked with no greeting, and no acknowledgement of Hinata. Either he hadn’t seen the small male or he didn’t care.

“Makita,” Tanaka-senpai replied instantly. “Nakamura’s still unaccounted for as far as we’re aware, but the likelihood of them sticking together seems thin to me. We should take him in and regroup at the palace, and send word of his capture.”

Kyoutani and Kageyama nodded in understanding, so Tanaka-senpai continued. “Kyoutani, come with me. We’ll take him in. Kageyama, something you’ll have to learn to deal with as a palace guard is the wellbeing of Karasuno’s citizens, as well as potential collateral, so talk with this young man to ensure he feels safe and well. If all is fine, go on ahead to the palace to send word of Makita’s recapture. Understood?”

Kageyama wanted to argue, to say he should stick with Tanaka-senpai and take Makita in, especially since he was the one who caught him. But he respected hi senior too much, and he understood that his role was still important. Talking with the kingdom’s citizens was something he may very well have to do more often in the future, and lord knows it wasn’t his strongest suit so he could really use the practice.

But why did it have to be Hinata? The boy who had invaded his mind and taken root there those months ago.

Tanaka-senpai took Kageyama’s silence as agreement, so he and Kyoutani pulled Makita to his feet. “Right. Don’t delay too long. We’ll see you back at the palace, Kageyama.” And with that, they were off, leaving the dumbfounded Kageyama alone with Hinata.

Kageyama could feel himself start to go into panic mode as soon as the others were out of sight; he didn’t know what to say, how to act… anything! Earlier had been different – he had a mission and only bumped into Hinata by chance. Now, though, he was actually _required_ to talk to him, and that put him in a very uncomfortable situation, particularly taking into account all the new, foreign feelings he got from interacting with the boy.

Fortunately for him, Hinata began speaking before he had to, breaking the silence in an eruption of excitement and energy.

“Woah! That was _so cool_ how you jumped him and then Tanaka-senpai was all like ‘good job’ and- and- your job is so cool!” he exclaimed, gesturing as he spoke hyperactively, a look of wonder and amazement defining his features.

For a moment, Kageyama was lost for words. He hadn’t expected Hinata to be so excited by all the action that had just occurred, but it was definitely a better reaction than the alternative because Kageyama would be even more stumped as to how to speak if Hinata was scared or shocked. He was also a little flustered from all the complimenting, which was something he was not at all used to.

“I, um, well,” he stammered nervously, “I’m still a trainee, so…” He shrugged, still unsure what to say, but Hinata filled in the blanks himself.

“Even so, I wish I could have a job like palace guard!” The way he spoke made it sound to Kageyama like he really meant it. There was a wistfulness about it, like it was something he’d fantasised about more than once, and that led Kageyama to speak without hesitation.

“So why don’t you sign up?” It seemed like the most obvious route to him, but Hinata obviously begged to differ.

“That’s fine for you to say,” he retorted, his bright smile contorting to a frown. “You’re big and muscly and stuff! I’m just a short omega with no special skills or anything.”

“So?” Kageyama responded immediately. He didn’t even give himself time to register the flutter in his belly at the confirmation that Hinata was an omega, the most compatible partner for an alpha like himself. No, he would ignore that for the time being and focus on their conversation. “You think you’re going to get pity for not even trying? Being small, or being an omega, those are not excuses for cowardice.” He wouldn’t allow Hinata to speak as though that was the reason he would not try. Not when he knew omegas to be as capable as anyone else. Sugawara-san was the prime example of that.

Hinata’s expression changed, adopting one that spoke of concentration and an underlying hope. “You… you really think I have a chance?” he asked, his voice uncharacteristically quiet as though he feared if he spoke too loudly he would scare his dream away.

Kageyama shrugged nonchalantly, discretely biting his lip to try stop his cheeks heating up at the sight of Hinata’s adorable, sparkling eyes looking up at him expectantly. “You definitely have some work to do before you enter the training camp, and it will probably not be easy since you will undoubtedly be one of the smallest recruits, but if you want it enough then you should still try.” In honesty, Kageyama didn’t know where all this confidence to say all these things was coming from. There was just something about the way Hinata doubted himself that irked him, and his words came out before he could have a chance to chicken out.

Hinata’s whole body seemed to inflate once more with rejuvenated life, and he grinned his biggest grin up at the young alpha. “Then I’m gonna work really hard and get in!”

Kageyama wanted to smile back, but he knew from experience his smile could be seen as… well, as scary, so he restrained himself.

“Oh! I didn’t catch your name – was it Kageyama? Tanaka-senpai said something like that,” Hinata piped up, the thought having just occurred to him.

Kageyama was caught off-guard by how attentively Hinata had been listening, but he quickly recovered and nodded. “Kageyama Tobio. You’re Hinata Shouyou. I remember from the festival.”

“Wow! You’ve got a good memory! Well, Kageyama, I’m gonna be a palace guard in no time! Just you wait!”

Then, without warning, Hinata spun round on his heel and raced into the house that must have been his, and that was the end of their second meeting.

With nothing left to say, and with Hinata gone, all Kageyama could do was return to the palace and report Makita’s recapture as he was instructed to do. In the meantime, he wondered if chance would have him meet Hinata ever again.

As it turns out, it did.

It must have been a month, maybe a little more later, when he accompanied Tanaka-senpai and his other senpais to training. When they got there, however, they were a little early.

“Ah, looks like the new recruits are doing some on-site training away from the camp,” Kuroo commented when they gathered at the side of the training field.

They watched as the small group started to wind down and pack up, and that was when a flash of orange crossed Kageyama’s view.

“Tanaka-senpai!” none other than Hinata Shouyou called when he spotted the group, arms struggling to hold onto a bundle of wooden poles used for spear training. “I’m gonna be a palace guard just like you!”

Tanaka-senpai let out a hearty chuckle, though he also appeared a little surprised at the reappearance of the small boy he’d only briefly met. “Keep up the good work then!” he called back, giving Hinata a thumbs-up while the rest of the group looked on in bewilderment.

Hinata also tried to wave to Kageyama, but with his arms full he could only move his elbow in a jerky movement, until he realised he could just bow, which he proceeded to do carefully so as not to drop anything.

Kageyama tried to hide the small blush that began to bloom on his cheeks, but nothing got past the group of guards he’d been adopted into and Kuroo was side-eying him with a knowing smirk. The younger alpha merely responded with an eye-roll and scoffed, turning his head in the other direction.

“Talk to him,” the bed-haired alpha urged, nudging Kageyama with his elbow, which caught the attention of some of the others.

“What’s this? Kageyama’s got a crush?” Kinoshita teased, effectively turning everyone’s attention on Kageyama.

“Ooh! Who on?” Bokuto asked excitedly, letting his sappy side seep out a little.

“It’s that short guy with the orange hair we saw bump into him in Daichi’s birthday festival,” Kuroo supplied ever so helpfully.

“Wait, him? But he looks about twelve! Are you a pervert, Kageyama?” Kinoshita exclaimed, only to be nudged rather harshly by Narita who was at his side.

“What? No! He’s eighteen! And who says I have a crush on him, hah?” Kageyama barked, but no-on could take him seriously. Not when his face was as red as a ripe tomato.

“C’mon, we’re not judging. Just go talk to him. Who knows? He might like you back,” Kuroo said to diffuse the situation. As much as he teased, he wasn’t one to get on others’ nerves for too long.

“And say what, huh?” Kageyama retorted spitefully, though he was trying to actually mask the fact that he really didn’t have a clue how to deal with all this kind of stuff.

Kuro and Bokuto weren’t buying his façade for a second. “Say hi, ask him to dinner, it’s simple,” Bokuto suggested. “Worked for me,” he added with a shrug.

“Okay, we’re having that conversation later, by the way,” Kuroo said pointedly to Bokuto before turning to Kageyama, “but he’s right. Just be yourself, ask him to dinner, and we’ll help you prepare for it. Be chill.”

And with those parting words of wisdom, Kuroo pushed Kageyama away, towards the direction of the storehouse Hinata had gone into to put away the training sticks.

Begrudgingly and buzzing with nerves, Kageyama continued without looking back, making it to the storeroom just before Hinata had a chance to leave.

“Oh! Kageyama!” Hinata yelped when the alpha appeared in the doorway. “You startled me! Told you I’d join!”

“Yes, well, you haven’t passed the exam yet,” he mumbled, still trying to figure out what to say. What he hadn’t realised was that his words were disheartening to the omega.

“Well, I will!” he retorted determinedly, hands on his hips in a power-pose to exert confidence.

“I… um, anyway… I was wondering… would you, maybe, possibly want to have dinner? With me? Sometime?”

Kageyama exhaled a sigh of relief, finally able to get the words out.

It was like watching a sunset dramatically sped up, watching Hinata’s face turn from normal to red, his caramel eyes widening in surprise.

“Me? You want to have dinner… with me?” he asked in disbelief.

Kageyama’s nerves boiled over and he turned on his heel, unable to look Hinata in the face for his rejection.

“You’re right, it was stupid to ask. Forget it. Why would you want to?” He felt completely embarrassed, and cursed Kuroo in his head for pushing him into this.

“Wait!” Hinata exclaimed, surging forward to grab Kageyama’s arm before the alpha could walk out. “I was just surprised! I wasn’t saying no!” he hurried to explain. “I didn’t think you even liked me!”

Hinata succeeded in getting Kageyama to halt his movements, and the alpha turned to him with a frown.

“I gave you that impression? I didn’t mean for you to think that,” he murmured, unable to look Hinata in the eye. That was, however, until the smaller boy reached up to place a hand on his cheek, urging him to look at him properly.

“I want to. Have dinner with you, I mean,” he said in a voice so soft Kageyama didn’t think it was even possible for the vociferous male to speak in such a way.

“You do?” he asked to be sure, his hear hammering both at the acceptance of his suggestion and at the realisation of how close they were stood.

Hinata simply nodded, smiling so blindingly brightly that Kageyama thought it would consume him.

“Tomorrow?” he breathed, voice failing him to be any louder.

“Tomorrow,” Hinata agreed with a nod.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm working at a con this weekend, so will have less time to write this week - basically, the next chapter may be a little delayed, but we'll get back to DaiSuga soon enough!  
> I wanted to give a little glimpse into Kageyama's perspective because (having read only 2 volumes of the manga) I know what Kageyama thinks and what he actually says doesn't always match up. Also, look at my blueberry having the gay panic™  
> Pls don't be too mad that I'm leaving y'all hanging on that proposal! I've been desperate to get a Kagehina side glimpse in, and this was the perfect time (in my opinion XD)


	12. To You, I'll Give the World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title song - Songbird by Fleetwood Mac
> 
> Better late than never?? Sorry about this - on top of my weekend work I was hit by some major writer's block. Enjoy!

_“I love you, Sugawara Koushi. Will you marry me?”_

Never – _never_ – in all of Suga’s years had he ever imagined or even dreamt that the crown prince of Karasuno, a man he’d learned to respect and then to love, would ask to marry him.

At first he thought his ears may have been deceiving him, because why would Daichi propose to _him?_

His mind was reeling. Daichi had told him, for the first time, that he loved him. That in itself was enough to send Suga’s heart into a fluttering frenzy. Daichi had just proven he reciprocated Suga’s feelings, and the omega was over the moon. Yet the alpha went ahead and topped that with a _marriage proposal!_ If Suga were any weaker he would have fainted. It was all so much at once!

For a moment, he panicked internally. He was overwhelmed, and on top of that he heard the voice of doubt whisper that it was too soon, hat he didn’t know Daichi wholly and could not be sure that he would always be this happy with him. However, these doubts were almost immediately completely quashed by every emotion he felt with Daichi, every memory of their time together, each loving whisper and gentle touch they had shared and he knew with complete certainty:

This was the man he wanted to spend his life with.

“Suga?” Daichi asked tentatively, and that was when Suga realised he’d been staring in silence, wide-eyed, for too long while his thoughts raced around in his head.

As soon as he was jolted back to reality, and it was clear this wasn’t a dream and was actually happening, tears sprang to Suga’s eyes, overflowing with all the joy and love he felt for the man beside him.

“Y-you mean it?” he asked as the tears cascaded down his cheeks, not even bothering to wipe them away.

Daichi was startled by the sudden outburst of tears, and for a split second he worried that he wouldn’t like the reason behind them, but answered earnestly nonetheless.

“With every fibre of my being.”

That was it for Suga; he surged forwards, practically throwing himself into Daichi’s arms, and hugged him with such vigour it was like he feared Daichi would disappear if he didn’t.

“I love you too! I was so scared you wouldn’t feel the same!” he cried, hiding his blubbering by tucking his chin over Daichi’s shoulder.

Reflexively and gladly, Daichi hugged back, enveloping the weeping omega in an amorous embrace. He could not stop the grin that spread on his lips if he tried when the omega confessed he returned his feelings, but pushed Suga back a little to see his face for his response.

“Suga, I think in honesty I’ve loved you from the moment I saw you, glaring at me while protecting that child,” he admitted with a slight chuckle, which made Suga laugh as he finally wiped away his tears. “So… about marrying me…” he then began to hesitantly question, but before he could even finish the thought, he was interrupted abruptly.

“Yes! Yes I will marry you!”

Both men were simultaneously overcome with the most overwhelming euphoria either had ever felt when it struck them what just happened.

Without further hesitation, Daichi surged forward and crashed their lips together, pouring all the love and promise of happiness he could into it. Suga’s lips were quick to part, granting Daichi’s tongue permission to meld with his own, sliding together in pure, hot passion. More so than any other intimate moment between the two of them, Daichi felt his insides heat up, consumed by a ferocious fire that threatened to overtake him if his self-control wavered even by a miniscule fraction. Never did he have so much trouble tempering his alpha instincts than he did when in Suga’s presence, and in this moment he was struggling almost a much as he had when Suga had miraculously gone into heat. He was just so enamoured by the omega, by his scent, his feathery touch, the way his body felt against his own, that it all left him begging for more.

Suga was not faring much better, holding back from giving his all to Daichi in that moment, knowing he needed to have patience. Every nerve in his body was alive, buzzing with an untameable electricity that only grew in fervour. He felt so awake, so _alive_. It was as though a mist that had existed in his life since he was a child had finally been cleared, opening his eyes to the world in front of him, to the path that laid before him. It was a path he wanted nothing more than to take with Daichi by his side. This was where he was meant to be. This was _who_ he was meant to be, and who he was meant to be _with_. He could deny it no longer: Daichi was his soulmate, and he would raze hell on earth if anyone were to try and take that away from him.

It was a short while later that they needed to stop. Both were panting for air, grinning giddily, with Suga’s forehead resting against Daichi’s, their breaths mingling between them. Suga feared if they went on for any longer they would have a repeat of what happened last time their make-out session edged towards steamy, and that was a risk he was not willing to take.

“God, you’re so beautiful,” Daichi murmured while they were still catching their breath. Suga could only bury his face in the crook of Daichi’s neck coyly, words failing him, which made the alpha chuckle breathily.

The prince could not stop questioning internally how he ever got to be so lucky as to meet Suga. Everything was just a dream come true, and Daichi had to go so far as to pinch himself just to be sure it was not a dream.

It took a fair amount of time for the two of them to calm themselves, but when they finally did, Suga pulled back to look Daichi in the eye.

“So… what comes next?” he asked, cheeks still flushed from all the excitement.

Admittedly, Daichi hadn’t really thought that far ahead, but what he told Suga was the logical next step. “Well, I suppose the first thing we have to do is tell my father… which means you’ll have to meet him.” The prospect made Daichi nervous, particularly since his father had never encountered Suga so he had no idea how he would react to know they were now engaged.

Suga nodded in understanding, though the shift in his eyes from excitement to anxiousness was blaringly clear to the alpha. He didn’t blame him; he would be meeting the King, after all.

“I also don’t have a ring,” he admitted rather ashamedly. “I’ve been told my fashion sense is not the most… refined, so to save myself the embarrassment of making a poor choice I was hoping you could pick one out or design one to be made.” He smiled sheepishly, and Suga could only giggle at the confession.

“I’m sure it can’t be _that_ bad,” Suga appeased, though he really couldn’t be sure. It was true Daichi was not one for wearing much colour or many accessories, though, so perhaps he was telling the truth. Regardless, it was incredibly endearing how thoughtful Daichi was, letting him choose his own ring. That was certainly something he looked forward to.

Daichi cringed, memories resurfacing at the topic. “Trust me. Asahi once made me go back to my room and dress in what he picked out for one of mother’s birthday celebrations because I, and I quote, looked ‘like a sightless sprite had picked my clothes from a circus’.”

Suga had to slap a hand over his mouth to keep from bursting out into an eruption of laughter, instead managing to temper it to snickering behind his palm.

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it out,” Daichi mumbled, though his expression was not overly displeased, so Suga knew he wasn’t in any trouble for laughing.

“Sorry, sorry, go on,” Suga urged, still smirking.

“I could set up dinner with my parents for tomorrow evening if you’re okay with that,” Daichi suggested, returning back to the matter at hand. “We can get that part out of the way quickly. Then it would be a matter of telling our friends, then making the public announcement. I doubt you can keep it quiet from Oikawa until tomorrow evening, knowing him, so by all means tell him but just make sure he doesn’t spread the word. I don’t want my father hearing about our engagement by anyone other than us.”

Each sequence of announcements were more and more daunting to Suga, but the one he feared the most was telling Oikawa. Daichi was right – Suga could not keep a secret from the other omega, and since he had a habit of waiting in Suga’s room when he went for dinners with Daichi, Suga didn’t doubt he was already waiting for his return. All he could think was that Oikawa was going to blow a fuse when he found out Suga was engaged to be wed before him.

On top of that, there were so many changes that would be happening, Suga did not even want to think about them. Most notably, there was no way he could go back to living in Aobajousai. That meant uprooting the life he had there and moving back to Karasuno once and for all. Sure, he had considered the fact that things may have been changing for him ever since Daichi first asked to court him, but the notion of Daichi actually proposing had been so far-fetched to him that he never truly thought about what it all meant. Not seeing Oikawa every day, leaving behind the few friends he had managed to make in Aobajousai…

“Penny for your thoughts?” Daichi murmured curiously, Suga having been unresponsive for a little too long now.

That broke Suga from his rambling thoughts, and he leaned back into Daichi, nestling there against his broad chest. “I was thinking about Oikawa, and what will happen when he has to return home and I tell him I won’t be,” he admitted honestly. There was no point keeping these thoughts to himself. Not when Daichi was right there and willing to listen.

Daichi folded his arms around Suga, holding him close but not so tight as to suffocate him. “I wish it could be different,” he sighed forlornly. “I wish us being together didn’t mean taking you away from the life you lived so happily, and dragging you into the chaos that is being royalty. I just… I’ve never, not for a second, felt the way I feel about you before I met you. I love you too much to let you go, and I know it’s selfish and that I don’t deserve you…”

Suga leaned up as Daichi spoke, and before he could go any further he placed a gentle kiss to the alpha’s worried lips, silencing him momentarily.

“Daichi, please don’t say that,” he urged soothingly. “You’re not selfish, and if anything it is me who does not deserve you! Except maybe I do. Maybe I’ve been through enough shit in my life to finally deserve actual happiness. Because that’s what you bring me, Dai. You bring me so, _so_ much happiness that it makes everything easier. Yes, I’m going to be leaving my old life, my friends, my old home, but only because throughout the time I have been here with you this has grown to be my home. As cliché as it is, home _is_ where the heart is, and Daichi, I never thought it would happen like this, so fast and intense and true, but you have my heart. It belongs to you so completely. So yes, my life is changing and yes it will take some time to get used to it, but don’t think for one second that I will regret any of it, because I won’t.”

Suga spoke so defiantly, so determinedly, that Daichi could do nothing but believe every word. It honestly made him emotional, and he’d be damned if anyone other than Suga was there to witness the dampness in his eyes. His whole life, he had been valued highly for his claim to the throne, his royal blood, even his skills in combat, but no one had ever made him feel like he had so much worth as a person than Suga did.

“Thank you.” It was all Daichi could think to respond, though he showed what he felt through the kiss he then initiated, not letting it get as heated as earlier but still pouring his whole being into it.

“Things will work out Daichi. Just you wait.”

 

\- ∞ -

 

“I’m sorry, Daichi did WHAT?!”

Suga winced, the reverberation of Oikawa’s voice rattling his skull.

“Tooru! Lower your voice!” he hissed. He’d get in so much trouble if anyone else heard the news before King Daiki.

As Suga had predicted, Oikawa had been lazing on the silver-haired omega’s bed, waiting for any juicy gossip he could get his hands on when Suga returned. Little did he know, he was going to get the biggest news Suga could possibly give him. Firstly, it had confused Oikawa when Suga walked in with two swords, identically sheathed, but the thing that spurred Oikawa on to question the other was the absolutely radiant glow about him. He walked into the room grinning, and that did not falter even once while he put down his cargo and joined Oikawa on the bed. That was when he told Oikawa, though it seemed he had to repeat himself.

“I said, Daichi proposed! Tooru, I’m getting married!” Suga couldn’t contain his excitement despite all the other consequences that came along with it.

Oikawa wore a perplexed expression, gawping at Suga in silent shock, mouth hanging wide enough to catch flies. Suga counted in his head almost a full minute before Oikawa roused from his state of shock, and as though it was in slow motion his face visibly lit up.

“Oh. My. GOD!” he cried, pouncing on Suga and smothering him in a hug. “I’M SO HAPPY FOR YOU KOU-CHAN!”

This was not quite the reaction Suga had been expecting, to put it mildly. He was expecting a tantrum, whining at least. SO he was pleasantly surprised to find that Oikawa was actually congratulating him. It made Suga giggle happily, hugging the omega prince back warmly and finally letting himself show his excitement unfiltered.

“I thought you’d be mad,” Suga admitted, still wrapped firmly in Oikawa’s arms. “You know, what with you telling me I’m not allowed to get married before you.”

“Oh Kou-chan, you know that was just a joke,” Oikawa said with amusement as he pulled back to look at Suga while they talked. “I’ve seen what Daichi does to you, who he is to you. You can just see how happy he makes you, and I’ll be damned if I’m so petty as to hinder your time together because I want to be first.” He spoke so maturely that Suga wasn’t sure if this was the real Oikawa. It was one of the very few times Suga had seen Oikawa talk in complete seriousness, and that said a lot for his utter sincerity on the matter. Honestly, it brought unexpected tears to Suga’s eyes.

“I really do love you, Tooru. You know that, right?”

“I do. And I love you too, Kou-chan.”

The two shared more hugs and a few un-sorrowful tears, then spent the rest of the evening and a portion of the night reminiscing over old times, prematurely lamenting the time they will inevitably be spending apart. They were not sad, though. No, they were hopeful. Hopeful for the new futures that awaited them. Hopeful that Iwaizumi would finally pluck up the courage to propose to Oikawa. Hopeful that any children they might have in the future would grow to be friends as close as their parents are.

Suga had only gone back to his room to talk to Oikawa, and had been planning to go back to Daichi’s room like he had been for a while, but he and Oikawa ended up falling asleep in each other’s arms, their friendship strong enough for that to be comfortable.

Daichi had become a little worried when Suga hadn’t returned to his chambers, so he decided it couldn’t hurt to just look for him in his own room. Say what you will, he couldn’t help but be a little paranoid after what happened the last time Suga had gone missing. To his relief, when Daichi gently cracked open Suga’s door, he saw the two omegas sleeping deeply, wrapped up in one another. The prince sighed in relief, and a small smile came to his lips at the sight of his soon-to-be husband sleeping so peacefully. He knew Suga’s long history of friendship with Oikawa, so it didn’t bother him that they were asleep together, though his inner alpha did grumble a bit at the loss of his own sleeping partner for the night. Regardless, he backed out and shut the door as quietly and carefully as he could before returning to his own bed, letting the sweet release of sleep encompass him for the night and ignoring the slight ache he felt from the emptiness of his bed.

 

\- ∞ -

 

“Suga, I promise you they are going to love you, so please stop fretting.”

Suga swallowed back the lump that had begun to form in his throat, nodding at the encouraging words of his fiancé.

It would be an understatement to say he was terrified; the two of them were in the hallway just beyond King Daiki’s personal dining room where he ate when there were private matters to be discussed. As such, Daichi had arranged a private dinner with his mother and father, telling them he had some urgent matters to discuss and that they would be joined by a guest. This would be the moment Suga was going to meet the king and queen of Karasuno, only to announce he would be becoming their son-in-law.

Daichi could see the nerves bubbling up in the omega, so he stopped short of the dining room to give him a bit of a pep talk to try clear some of his anxieties.

“I know, I know. I just… what if they don’t?” he muttered, looking right into Daichi’s eyes with his own wide, worried eyes in an expression that made Daichi want to just hold him tight and never let go.

“Then they suck it up, because _I_ love you, and this is my choice completely. The only person who can stop me from marrying you is you.” Daichi’s words struck deep and plucked at Suga’s heart strings; it was richly evident in his voice that he meant every word, and all Suga could think in response was _‘there’s no way I’m backing out now.’_

He took a deep, lingering breath, held it for a few seconds, then exhaled before replying, “Okay. I’m ready.”

Daichi firmly took Suga’s delicate hand in his own, and together they closed the distance between them and the dining room, never once parting even when they stepped through the door.

“Daichi,” his father greeted until he registered Suga’s presence. The king’s eyes first shot to the omega, then down to Daichi and Suga’s conjoined hands, realisation dawning on his weathered features. “I presume this is the ‘urgent matter’ you wished to speak to us about?” His tone was somewhat amused; surprised, but not angry. Quite the opposite, actually, since a budding smile began to spread across his lips.

It was Daichi’s mother who stood and presented herself eagerly to Suga with a little bow in greeting.

“Sawamura Kasumi, Daichi’s mother. It’s a pleasure to meet you, mister…?” she said sweetly, tapering off for Suga to fill in the blanks.

“Sugawara Koushi, but everyone calls me Suga,” he responded with a deeper, respectful bow, trying to stop himself from showing his nerves, though the stiffness of his bow might have given it away a little. “And the pleasure is all mine, your highness, your royal majesty,” he added, also addressing and bowing to King Daiki.

Once Suga straightened up out of his bow, he saw that the king and queen were looking expectantly at their son, whose cheeks were flushed with a dusting of pink.

Daichi gave Suga one more glance before turning to his parents. “Mother, father, as he said, this is Suga. He is the personal assistant and closest friend to Prince Oikawa, and has been accompanying him during his stay here. These past months, I have been honoured to get to know this compassionate, humbling man and I feel my life is all the better for it. We have decided to be wed, and I ask your blessing for this. Please know that this man has my heart and I would marry him in a heartbeat.”

Suga was stunned to silence at Daichi’s eloquence while addressing the matter. He had cut right to the point, and made Suga blush furiously in the process.

There was a pregnant pause in the room, Daichi’s words settling around its occupants.

It was the king himself who broke the silence, rising from his seat.

“Well, I cannot say I know you well, Sugawara, but if my son has given you his heart, who am I to take it away?” He beamed at the two, who took a moment to let that sink in.

King Daiki had given them his blessing.

“Thank you, father,” Daichi responded with a bow, his grin so bright it illuminated the room.

Suga followed suit, bowing and giving his thanks.

“Come, now. Let us discard formalities and enjoy our meal,” Queen Kasumi said with an affectionate smile directed towards her son and his fiancé. “Please, sit.”

Thus, the four all took their seats at the rounded table after Queen Kasumi called for their meals to be brought over. While they ate, Suga answered all the questions Daichi’s parents threw at him, his nerves slowly tapering away as time went on. He found that he shared some common interests with Queen Kasumi, such as the art of the blade as well as the beauty of flowers, and that the flower garden of the palace was commissioned and designed by the queen herself. He also giggled a little to himself at the obvious relief the royal couple showed when he clarified that he was indeed an omega, meaning an heir to the throne was not at all out of the question. That was something for the future, though. For now, he would enjoy his life as Daichi’s fiancé, and then his husband.

The dinner conversation inevitably ended up turning to the wedding, and although everything was still so new and fresh, everyone agreed mutually that it was better if it was sooner rather than later. With the kingdom still a little rattled from the prison incident, and rumours going around of a possible war, it would add a celebration and lift everyone’s spirits to know that a royal wedding would be happening. It would also enhance the kingdom politically by creating the opportunity for more ambassadors from other kingdoms to visit and discuss possible alliances. Yes, the wedding was all for Daichi and Suga to celebrate their love, but it would be a missed opportunity to not attempt some political bargaining. Alongside this, Suga also expressed his dreams of a summer wedding, loving the vibrant colours that would be available in flowers and the fact that the hours of daylight would be longer. It was therefore decided that the wedding would take place at the beginning of the month of August, and that preparations should begin immediately, starting with invitations. It was a lot to take in and a lot to discuss, but Suga knew that this was what it took to be married to the future king of Karasuno.

When the dinner came to an end, Queen Kasumi beckoned for Suga to join her for a moment of privacy to the side of the room while Daichi and his father did the same outside the door.

“Suga, my dear. I know these coming months will be busy, so if there is anything I can do to help lessen your burden, please do not hesitate to seek me out. I am often in my private library in the east watch tower, or in the flower gardens, but you can ask for someone to fetch me as well.” Her offer was very kind, and as much as Suga would hate to force work upon the queen, he did not doubt her help would be greatly appreciated. She seemed to sense his hesitancy, so she added, “Daichi will most certainly be useless in the planning process, and I am less involved in all these political affairs than my husband by far, so my time can certainly be put to better use. Besides, I’ve always wanted to help plan my only son’s wedding.” There was a wistfulness about that last part that crumbled away any remaining worries Suga had about occupying Queen Kasumi’s time, so he nodded.

“Thank you, Queen Kasumi. I am certain your help will be sorely needed,” he replied gratefully, offering her a warm smile.

“Oh, please. Just Kasumi, or mum if you wish,” she retorted with a loving smile, waving her hand as if to bat away the formality of Suga’s words.

 _Mum._ Now that was a title he never thought he’d get to say again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oikawa was shooketh XD
> 
> So, here's the deal lads: I got some exams coming up, and I haven't started studying which I need to. So, updates will either be a bit more random for a while, or become bi-weekly instead. We'll see. I love writing this despite the writer's block, so updates will be happening one way or another.
> 
> Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated! Hope this chapter was okay!  
> p.s. does anyone actually listen to the songs I put as titles? If so, did you like any? Which ones?
> 
> not beta'd so excuse typos!


	13. You And I Will Walk Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah... 3 weeks, huh? Hehehe...heh... oops?
> 
> Title song: We're Going To Be Friends by The White Stripes  
> side note: a lot happens this chapter but I managed to come up with a title line that fits the different focuses - new friends, and DaiSuga

They told their friends at breakfast.

No-one was surprised.

“About time!” Kuroo had exclaimed jovially. If anyone was still half-asleep when they’d arrived at breakfast, they were fully awake now at how loud the alpha was.

Asahi beamed like it was Christmas, and congratulated them both. Surprisingly, it was not him but Tanaka who teared up, so overwhelmingly happy for his senpais and future rulers of his country.

There were congratulations all-round, Akaashi being the last to speak up. Gaining a peculiar spur of confidence after saying his congratulations, he quipped, “Now you won’t mope about whether Daichi likes you or not.” It was said in good jest, a teasing smile on his lips, and Suga could not hold back his laughter because, well, it was true! Akaashi was all too familiar with Suga’s pining in his private moments.

All jokes aside, Daichi was so overwhelmingly proud to be able to announce Suga as his fiancé, as his future husband. It made his chest swell, more than any of his own achievements could. It was an honour, a true gift, to be able to say that Suga was his and he was Suga’s and announce that to the world.

The formal and public announcement came the following day. Most were thrilled; the Sawamura family had not led them wrong yet, so to know the only heir to the throne was on his way to securing the Sawamura lineage further brought a new wave of hope and joy. The only negativity came from those who’d had hopes of wooing the prince themselves, only to find that he was well and truly spoken for.

The excitement of the new betrothal, however, was soon put aside, for more pressing matters were approaching the palace. No less than five days after the proposal itself, the Nekoma representative party arrived.

It was early afternoon, the sun still high, when they arrived at the palace. The king himself was there at the gates to welcome the visitors, along with Queen Kasumi, Oikawa with Iwaizumi, and of course Daichi, accompanied by Suga. A handful of guards stood flanking them, while Asahi and Aoubajousai’s own guard, Hanamaki had gone to escort the party to the palace gates and now arrived with them.

Suga watched eagerly as the group approached them, and was pleasantly surprised to see the representative Nekoma had sent was young, the same age as Tanaka, if he had to guess. The boy carried an air of professionalism about him, though Suga detected anxious undertones. He was fairly small in stature, smaller than himself though not nearly the smallest person he’d met. Draped over his lean figure was a dark cloak that was clasped at his neck by a silver brooch in the elegant design of a cat. Beneath the cloak, revealed by the way the material parted at the front, he was dressed in the colours of Nekoma, the red and black both striking yet complementary against his pale skin and long, braided blonde-brown hair which faded from one shade to the next.

Coming up on his rear were three guards, one of whom must have been the tallest person Suga had ever encountered. Another bore a striking resemblance to Tanaka in his presence, while the third was the smallest but seemed to hold the most authority of the three.

The king had been about to voice his welcome when a loud clatter sounded behind them.

Everyone turned immediately to seek the source of the noise.

Kuroo had seemingly dropped his ceremonial sword and was staring, gobsmacked and mouth agape, at the Nekoma representative like he’d seen a ghost.

“K-Kenma?” He uttered the name with a voice so _raw_ it made even the ever-stoic Kageyama startle and furrow his brows in confusion and concern.

Suga watched as the boy – Kenma? – glanced at Kuroo with eyes that spoke of desperation, the absolute _need_ to explain himself, but they flicked back to the king a mere moment later. It was obvious what he was doing: putting his duties first.

Daichi waited patiently for King Daiki to begin addressing the male and his party before he gave Suga’s hand a squeeze and slipped from his side to speak to his best friend. Suga couldn’t hear what was said, but he saw that Kuroo managed to tear his distraught eyes away from Kenma to look at Daichi and nod, only to turn and head inside the palace.

Suga had so many questions, but now was not the time to voice them.

Luckily, he was focusing enough to catch the introductions.

“My name is Kozume Kenma, royal advisor of Nekoma. My King regrets his absence and hopes that I can be of some assistance in his place.” He spoke with eloquent formality, so rigid one might even say it was uncomfortably stiff and perhaps a little forced. “It is my honour to be in your presence, your majesty.” Kenma’s greeting was punctuated with a low bow of respect, his guards following suit and bending at the waist.

King Daiki smiled kindly and nodded his head in approval. “I am sure you will be most suitable to represent him, Kozume-san. I have heard a great many things of your intelligence and strategy. Please, rise. My men will show you and your company to some rooms, which we hope you will find suitable. For today, please make yourself comfortable, and we will begin with the discussions tomorrow morn.”

With a wave of his hand, King Daiki summoned forwards the rest of the palace guards. It was Bokuto who was asked to show Kenma to his chambers in the guest wing, while Tanaka and Asahi escorted Kenma’s guards to the barracks where all unmated guards slept, with a few exceptions. It was easy for Suga to notice the initial square-up between Tanaka and his doppelganger, but as though a silent conversation passed between them, an instant connection formed. Those two would become good friends, Suga predicted.

Everyone else, with the help of some squires, took hold of the luggage the Nekoma party brought with them and headed in the directions of their owners. Suga did not miss the almost pleased expression Kageyama wore when he appeared to pick up a guard’s luggage, meaning he would be heading to the barracks. The omega had a sneaking suspicion it had something to do with a certain guard-in-training he’d heard rumours of. One he’d met before.

It was discrete but noticeable to Suga, what with standing so close he was practically pressed up against the alpha, when Daichi sighed. He seemed more relaxed now, though the sigh was somewhat weary. Did he know what went on between Kuroo and Kenma? Suga bit his tongue. It wasn’t his place to ask, at least not in this moment. It took mere seconds before Daichi took Suga by the hand, gently urging him to follow him back to the palace.

“Kozume-san is an omega. I could smell him when he bowed. Perhaps he’ll find comfort in your company. I’ve been told omegas like the company of other omegas.” Daichi spoke in a low voice, murmuring to Suga as they walked. It was clear to Suga now, in the way Daichi spoke, that he definitely did know what went on between Kuroo and Kenma, and was suggesting Suga might want to check up on Kenma to make sure he was okay. Daichi didn’t have to ask. Suga could see the emotion in Kenma’s eyes and it took all the silver-haired omega’s willpower not to immediately seek the Nekoma representative out. It was just a bonus that his betrothed was as observant and compassionate as he was.

“I’m eager to make his acquaintance,” Suga murmured in response, keeping up formalities while others were in the vicinity whilst assuring Daichi he understood what he had been trying to say.

Keeping up a stern appearance, Daichi remained facing forwards but nodded in response to Suga’s comment. They had made an unspoken agreement to go their separate ways once inside the palace.

 

\- ∞ -

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

Suga waited nervously outside the sturdy wooden chamber door that he was led to believe Kenma would be behind.

As per common courtesy but to also give himself time to prepare for this meeting, Suga had waited half an hour before asking some of the maids which room had been given to Kenma. Oikawa had told him to go sooner, but he wanted to give Kenma time to settle in and perhaps calm himself if he had been as rattled as Kuroo had been.

A mere three doors down from his own room, Suga gave the door three solid, but hopefully not intimidating, knocks.

He was almost unsure if he’d even heard the small ‘ _come in’_ that followed shortly after, but he convinced himself he had heard correctly and took the liberty of pushing the door open enough to reveal himself.

“Kozume-san. My name is Sugawara Koushi, betrothed to Prince Daichi.” He paused, giving a bow of courtesy, but Kenma was in front of him in an instant, gently pushing him back upright.

“Please don’t bow for me, Sugawara-sama. Even before you wed, you hold much higher status than I. You should refrain from belittling yourself by bowing to the likes of me.” Kenma’s voice held no tone of indignation; he sincerely thought himself unworthy of Suga’s respect, and that irritated the taller slightly. Not only that, but it surprised him, considering he’d never held such status before, even in Oikawa’s court.

“I appreciate your concern, Kozume-san, but I would hardly call showing a guest adequate respect ‘belittling’ of myself. Please, call me Suga. I do hope you can feel comfortable in my company. I am to understand you will be here indefinitely whilst discussions commence, and it would be a shame if I did not take this opportunity to perhaps make a new friend.” Suga offered a warm smile, and he couldn’t help but notice the hostile, uptight stance Kenma had been sporting the whole time since his arrival relax a little.

Kenma seemed to hesitate, until he let out a shaking breath and nodded his head. “Thank you, um, Suga-san. If you are to permit me such familiarity, then I guess ‘Kenma’ is fine, too.”

Suga’s smile widened to the point where it became infectious and even Kemna’s tightly-pressed lips quirked up into a small smile in return.

“Wonderful!” Suga exclaimed, clapping his hands together. “Are you settling in well? Is there anything you lack?”

Kenma moved to perch on the end of his bed and shook his head. “I’m fine, thank you. I believe I have been granted all I could need for now,” he replied, still seeming a bit tense around Suga, but much easier to talk to than before.

“Should that change, I’m only a few doors to your left. You are welcome to come seek me any time. Even if it’s just for a chat.”

Kenma’s eyes widened, surprised by something Suga had said, and he whipped his head round to look at the other omega incredulously. “Wait, your room is here? In the guest wing? Aren’t you betrothed to the Prince?”

 _Ah, perhaps Nekoma’s customs are different?_ Suga chuckled lightly and rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, kind of? I came here from Aobajousai with Prince Oikawa Tooru as a guest, and since then, well, things developed, I guess you could say. It’s not custom here for unmated and unmarried people to sleep together, although due to some… personal circumstances, I tend to spend nights with Daichi. _Just_ sleeping, though. I… God, I don’t know why I’m even saying this to you because you didn’t even ask, but yeah… I’m still pure.” Suga took a deep breath after his nervous ramble, not sure how he even ended up where he did, but at least Kenma looked a bit less confused.

“I see. I guess it’s similar in Nekoma, I just didn’t expect you to still be considered a guest enough to be rooming in the ‘guest wing’.”

Could Suga get any more embarrassed? Probably not.

“Oh, right. Well, I guess there’s no point in me getting a new room if the wedding is only a few months away?” He sounded unsure, but really Suga just wanted that conversation to end. He’d gone on about being a virgin when Kenma was only confused why he was in the guest wing. How mortifying!

Kenma simply nodded, face contorted into an expression of deep thought, and Suga took the moment of silence to change topic.

“Anyway, dinner is in an hour. Someone will be by to show you the way. I’ll see you then.”

With a final farewell, Suga left the room and headed straight for Daichi’s. He needed to recharge after that embarrassing encounter, preferably by surrounding himself with his future alpha’s scent.

 

\- ∞ -

 

A week had passed since Kenma’s arrival, and things were going well, in Suga’s opinion.

For starters, Kenma had begun to warm up to him, along with Oikawa and Akaashi. It was true what they said: omega’s stick together.

Not only that, but Suga thought he noticed Kenma interacting more familiarly with Kuroo a few days into the omega’s stay. It seemed they must have had the opportunity to talk about whatever was bothering them, and perhaps even reconcile. As curious as Suga was, he knew when to keep his nose out of the business of others. This was definitely one of those times.

Aside from that, with the help of Queen Kasumi, Suga had decided on a wedding invitation design and most of said invitations were ready to be sent out. Only a small handful were reserved for Suga; he hardly knew anyone to invite, and most invitations would be to lords and ladies of noble houses from across the allied kingdoms to strengthen political bonds anyway. Suga considered himself lucky to have been granted any guests at all, though Kasumi reminded him that it was _his_ wedding and so he shouldn’t be so daft as to not expect his own guests.

“We should invite Shigeru,” Suga suggested one evening. He had managed to convince Daichi that he needed to help at least a little bit in selecting the guests, and Oikawa had in turn managed to convince Suga to let Akaashi and him join in with the discussions.

“Who’s Shigeru?” Daichi asked, looking up from the worn paper that had draft number four of the guest list to question his fiancé.

“Kyoutani Shigeru. You know the guard that came with us from Aobajousai with the angry-looking face and lemon juice-lightened hair?” Daichi considered the description before nodding. “That’s Kyoutani Kentarou. Shigeru’s his mate and a good friend of Tooru’s and mine.”

Before Daichi could comment, Oikawa spoke up.

“Actually, he’s already on his way here,” he said nonchalantly, smirking because he hadn’t had a chance to tell Suga the news.

“Really? Why’s that?” Suga asked, confused but nonetheless excited to know a friend was on his way.

“He found out last month that he’s with child, and cannot bear being apart from his mate any longer. He’s already starting his fifth month.”

Suga could not contain his surprised and elated squeal at the news. “Shigeru’s with child?! I can’t believe it! Wait, fifth month… that means…”

Oikawa snickered and picked up where Suga left off. “It means Kyouken-chan left him one hell of a parting gift the night before we left to come here.”

Suga ignored Oikawa’s suggestive comment, his eyes still glistening with awe. “I can’t believe – does Kyoutani know?”

Oikawa’s smirk only turned more proud as he replied, “Nope! He wrote to me a couple of weeks ago to let me know and to ask when we will be returning. I told him there was still much to do and suggested he come here instead, if he is able. He asked me not to say anything to him, though. Wants that news to come from him. Though, judging by the timescale, Kyouken-chan will probably see the news before he hears it.” Sure enough, Shigeru would most certainly have a bump by the time he arrived. Kyoutani would probably see the bump as soon as he sees Shigeru himself.

Daichi finally too the opportunity to speak up, focusing everyone back to the task at hand. “Okay, so we’ll make sure the Kyoutanis receive their invitations. That reminds me we need to consider if others will be bringing a plus-one.”

Suga nodded, tapping his chin with the end of the quill in thought. “Yeah, you’re right. Who out of our selection of guests might bring a plus-one?” Daichi knew his friends better than Suga. The omega hadn’t even gotten the chance to know who was single, who was courting, even who was mated. The only one he even considered to have a significant other was Asahi, and that was purely by his own deductions since the alpha smelled mated to Suga’s keen nose. It hadn’t exactly come up in conversation, and truth be told, Suga really should spend more time getting to know his future-mate’s friends.

Daichi pondered the question before filling Suga in on what he knew. “Well, Asahi’s definitely coming with Yuu – ah, that’s his mate. He’s part of the Royal Guard but spends most of his time training newbies. You might have seen him around, but if not, you’ll definitely meet him soon.” Daichi looked a little sheepish that he hadn’t yet introduced Suga to all his friends. In his defence, he’d wanted to spend as much as his free time with Suga alone with him as possible. “I think Tanaka’s got his eye on someone, so I think we should give him the option to bring a guest. I’ve also heard rumours of Kageyama courting a trainee guard, so I’ll put him down as having a plus-one. Bokuto won’t need a plus one,” he then commented, looking up to a blushing Akaashi when he did. Akaashi had his own invitation, so Daichi knew Bokuto would have no need for a guest. “I’ll keep Kuroo open for having a plus-one, but something tells me he won’t need it either,” he added, spotting Kenma’s name already on the list. “Is there anyone else?”

Suga was about to say no when Oikawa spoke up. “Well, consider the likelihood that we from Aobajousai won’t be leaving until after the wedding, I think it only fair we invite Hanamaki’s alpha, no?” Oikawa was, of course, referring to Hanamaki Takahiro, one of the few guards to have accompanied them to Karasuno.

“Tooru, they’re not mated… yet. Don’t you think you’re being a little, how do I put this… previous? By calling him his ‘alpha’, I mean? They’re still courting. Though I agree, Matsukawa should be invited in that instance.”

Suga couldn’t help but become a little amused by the confusion he could see on Daichi’s face, hearing all these names he’d never encountered before.

“I’ll, ah, let you write all that,” Daichi conceded, sliding the list closer to Suga.

It went on like that for a little while, deliberating over who should be invited and whether they had room on the guest-list. Akaashi spent that time braiding Oikawa’s hair, which had grown substantially over the past few months; Akaashi had nothing better to do, no contributions to the decisions, but enjoyed the company of the others regardless.

Only when Suga was leaning heavily on Daichi’s shoulder, eyelids drooping, did they realise they had lost track of the time and had carried on well into the night.

“Come on,” Daichi murmured, weary himself, giving Suga a gentle nudge. “We should all retire for the night. I think we’re just about done anyway.”

Oikawa yawned and nodded, bidding everyone goodnight and leaving in search of his own room. Akaashi followed close behind, making the betrothed couple the last people in the study.

“Mm… sleepy…” Suga mumbled, already half-asleep.

Seeing Suga so relaxed and restful, Daichi didn’t have the heart to force him awake to walk the relatively short distance to the royal chambers. So, doing what anyone would do in his position, he carefully scooped Suga up into his arms and carried him there, cradled against his chest. The moment Suga was securely situated in his arms, he snuggled up closer, resting his head on Daichi’s shoulder and basking in the alpha’s strong scent, more concentrated from the close proximity to the scent glands.

Once in his room, Daichi wasted no time in tucking Suga into bed, settling down beside him and enveloping him in the warmth of his embrace while his own eyes drifted shut…

“PRINCE DAICHI!”

An alarmingly loud voice shouted from outside the door, thick with urgency and panic.

It was the guard, Kinoshita, and he made himself known without even waiting for the prince to respond.

“Raiders from the south! They’ve already pillaged the southernmost village by the border and threaten to push onwards to the capital! Your orders, sire?”

Sleep would have to wait, because now Daichi was wide awake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that I went on a mini hiatus because of exams and only have a filler chapter to show for it... I'll try better next time!


	14. Interlude: I Remember The Old Times. I Remember You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> kuroken backstory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title song: If You - BIGBANG (English translation - youtube.com/yurat)  
> (boi i don't listen to kpop but my friend played me this and it's so beautiful i had to)

The moment he saw Kenma, his mind short-circuited.

How? How was this possible?

It was like his whole body seized up, his joints going rigid and his grip on his ceremonial sword slacking as his chest tightened painfully.

Memories, ones he’d spent years trying to box off in his mind, came flooding back; scenes of himself and a young, beautiful boy playing together in the woods, by the pond, in their houses. Then there were _those_ memories. The final memories he had of his childhood best friend before everything changed.

He had hardly changed, yet at the same time had changed so much. It was surreal – he was so distinctly the same boy from Kuroo’s memories, but he was taller, sterner, his face holding less puppy fat to make way for a more pointed chin. His hair had grown drastically, too, as though he had never cut it once, and it had been lightened to a blonde though his darker roots were clearly showing.

But the thing that stood out the most was that he was absolutely unequivocally _beautiful._

“ –roo. Kuroo, hey man.” Kuroo hadn’t realised he was staring at Kenma until Daichi’s voice snapped him back to reality. He just barely managed to look away, to face his current best friend, every fibre of his being longing to reach out to Kenma. To make up for lost time.

“You don’t have to tell me anything, but why don’t you head back inside, okay. There’s more than enough men to welcome our guests.”

Kuroo was no fool – he knew Daichi could guess what had shaken him so much. Kuroo had, in the past, shared some of his past with Daichi, though he had never mentioned any names. Knowing that Daichi was smart enough to connect the dots, he simply nodded and turned, somehow managing to force his legs to carry him indoors.

He wasted no time in making his way to the kitchens, in desperate need of some water as his mouth and throat had gone completely dry. Reliving the events of the past could often do that to him.

 

\- ∞ -

 

_They had been friends as long as either boy could remember, their houses only being two doors down. Kuroo was a year older than Kenma, which naturally meant he was the leader when they went adventuring in the nearby woods, always being the one to lead the way and ward off any unruly branches or spider webs with his trusty branch. The young Kenma trusted Kuroo unwaveringly, and Kuroo was never one to let that trust be misplaced. Every fall, every scrape to the knee Kenma obtained, Kuroo was there to help him up and clean him off. They were safe and happy in their little village by the borders of Nekoma._

_Until they weren’t._

_That fateful day, they had gone out adventuring in the woods as usual, the 10 year-old Kuroo leading the way with 9 year-old Kenma following suit._

_They didn’t make it very far before the screams reached them, coming from the direction of the village. It was horrific; the cacophony of blood-curdling screams pierced the bodies and minds of the two young boys, fear instantly filling them to the core._

_Kenma immediately latched onto Kuroo, gripping his arm with all the strength the little one had. Both boys were trembling, rooted to the spot with fear, until the heard the crashes of large bodies rampaging through the woods behind them._

_The boys did the only thing they could: they ran._

_Kuroo grasped Kenma’s stone-cold hand in his own and ran as fast as his legs could carry them, not caring what direction they were going or if they could find their way back. The icy claws of terror clamped down in Kuroo’s chest, and he could only imagine Kenma was feeling the same._

_The larger bodies were following them, that was for sure. Kuroo had zig-zagged through the trees to try and keep them more hidden, but the crunching of leaves and snapping of twigs accompanied by heavy footsteps drew ever closer, chasing them unrelentingly._

_In a flash, Kenma’s foot caught on an unearthed tree root, and he toppled to the ground, his hand being yanked from Kuroo’s grip._

_Kuroo would never leave Kenma. It wasn’t even a question. Without hesitating, he ran back for the boy, but in the time it took for him to reach Kenma and help him to his feet, the beasts were upon them._

_Overbearing, robust looming men stood before them, wicked grins on their rabid faces._

_“Caught’us some pretty ones, eh? Bound ta’ fetch a high price,” one boasted to another, two of the group grabbing the two boys._

_The strength of the men was far too much for the young boys to escape from, no matter how hard they struggled and screamed. Kuroo screamed his throat hoarse, calling for his mother and father, Kenma doing the same while hot tears streamed down his cheeks._

_Kuroo wasn’t exactly all that sure what happened next; the men had decided to knock the boys out because they were struggling too much. A firm whack to the head did the trick, and Kuroo was out cold._

_When he finally came to, his head was spinning and his body ached. He tried to rub his eyes but found he couldn’t move his arms. His hands were bound behind his back with thick, rough rope tightly tied at his wrists, and his ankles bore the same bindings._

_“Kenma?!” he called as soon as he could get his voice to work, the darkness and fuzziness in his head making it hard to see._

_“Kuro? Kuro where are we? What’s happening?” Kenma’s voice cried out in the cramped space they were in. He was terrified – that much was certain – and he was clearly crying judging by the sound of his voice._

_“I… I don’t know,” Kuroo responded honestly, too scared himself to try and hide it from his friend._

_It took a little while for Kuroo to register the jostling movements in their hard wood containment, which could only mean they were in some sort of transportation. A cargo carriage, if he had to guess. There were other children with them, though the few there seemed to still be sleeping or passed-out. Kuroo had no sense of time, of how long he’d been out, what time it was, nothing._

_What could he do? He was tied up, cramped in God-knows-what, with no way out and no strength to even try._

_“HELP!” he cried as loud as his lungs allowed. It was the only thing he could think to possibly help them. Maybe he would alert a passer-by who could help._

_“HELP US! PLEASE! HELP! WE’VE BEEN KIDNAPPED! HE- oof!”_

_Just as he was screaming for help, something hit the carriage and they were thrown sharply to the side. Angry shouts and the clashing of metal against metal rang through the air, penetrating the wooden walls of the carriage so they could hear it all. Kuroo didn’t even want to think about what the screams that were abruptly cut-off meant, what the source of the thudding sounds was. He screwed his eyes shut and held his breath, begging anyone and anything to keep Kenma and himself safe._

_As though an angel had descended from the heavens to greet them, light suddenly flooded into the carriage, illuminating what had been obscured in darkness._

_Kuroo’s eyes hardly had time to adjust before he and all the other captured children were pulled from the overturned container. The warm, hearty embrace that enveloped Kuroo was the last thing he ever expected, but then he allowed his other senses to kick in and the scent filled his nose. The scent of home._

_“Tetsurou! Tetsu my boy. Shh, it’s okay. I’m here. I’ve got you. We’re okay,” the kind voice of his father cooed as he held the boy to his chest, swaying him slightly to lull him into a calmer state._

_“D-dad?” he whimpered, finally letting the tears flood his eyes and cascade down his face in a wet, ugly sob._

_“Shh, yes, it’s me You don’t have to be afraid any longer,” his father promised, never once relenting his hold on his son._

_Kuroo then suddenly gasped and pulled back a little to look around frantically. “Kenma! Where’s Kenma?”_

_Kuroo’s father made the boy look him in the eye with a gentle, calloused hand on his cheek. “It’s okay, son. He’s safe. Now, Tetsu, we have to go. I’m sorry, son. We can’t be here anymore.”_

_And just like that, Kuroo’s life was never the same. His father took him to the only place he knew he’d find bed and board; King Daiki of Karasuno owed him a favour or two, so he was sure to help them out._

_When he wasn’t sleeping, Kuroo persistently asked where his mother and young sister were, but his father would never answer._

_It was only years later, when the concept of death was easier to get to grips with, that he realised what must have happened. He asked his father outright, and finally he told him the full story from what he knew._

_A small clan of savage raiders had moved in across the border, somehow evading the border guards, and pillaged the nearest villages. One of those happened to be the village Kuroo grew up in. His father had been out training some younger recruits and was on his way back when the plume of smoke became visible. The group pf men raced back as fast as they could go, but alas they were too late. Most were dead, a few only injured. None of the children were in sight._

_They searched the surrounding woods, until a young recruit reported the sounds of horse and carriage, so all men ran in that direction. They were nearing the carriage, unsure of how to proceed, when Kuroo’s father heard the unmistakable cries of his son. Fuelled by rage and the desperate need to rescue his only remaining family, he charged forwards, the others following behind. Their surprise attack caused the carriage to swerve and hit a boulder, toppling it to the side, and the men driving it tried to fend off the attackers. Unfortunately for them, Kuroo’s father and the other men with him were all still armoured and armed, so it took very little time to execute those who dared to harm their families._

_He also learned that both of Kenma’s parents perished in the attack, so he was taken to an orphanage to be cared for. What happened to him beyond that, no one knew._

\- ∞ -

 

It was the next day when, whilst on his way back from training, Kuroo bumped into Kenma in passing.

He hadn’t meant to see him so soon, especially when he was adorned in a fresh coat of sweat and dirt, but for some reason his legs carried him a different way than usual to the barracks. Instead, he took a route that passed through some of the palace gardens. That was where he saw Kenma, perched under the cool shade of a tree with his nose in a book.

As quietly and discretely as he could, Kuroo tried to pass by unnoticed. He should have known, though – nothing goes undetected to Kenma.

Kenma’s book lowered, and his cat-like eyes peeked over the top, glistening in the stray light that filtered between the leaves like polished ambers.

Kuroo felt like they were looking into his soul, reading his deepest thoughts, and as such was spurred on to speak.

“K-Kenma, I… I tried to go back for you. I swear I-” he began, the raw emotion that had returned to the surface from all those years ago giving a heart-wrenching tone to his words before he was cut off.

“Kuro, stop. I don’t blame you.” He spoke so assuredly, though it was clear he was experiencing a similar whirlpool of emotions behind the façade his words created.

There was a silence, Kuroo battling with all the questions, all the words he needed to say and to hear, all the chaos in his mind. But one thing, one _thought_ rose above the rest, desperate to be uttered.

“I thought I’d lost you for good.”

It was barely a mutter, almost a whisper, his voice wavering and cracking from the immense weight the word brought with them. Finally that weight was gone, cleansed from his soul, and the realisation that Kenma was safe, that he was _alive,_ was finally able to sink in. If he wasn’t so filthy, he would have hugged Kenma and held him so tightly he would never be able to let go.

Kenma, on the other hand, didn’t seem to care. He didn’t care that Kuroo had sweat and grime and whatever-else all over him. None of that mattered compared to the years of separation and the overwhelming relief and pure joy of seeing Kuroo again. So he rose to his feet and surged forwards, tacking Kuroo into the most heartfelt embrace he could ever give.

The force and sheer unexpectedness of Kenma’s embrace was enough to make Kuroo stumble back, and his feet caught on a stray rock, sending him to he ground. He landed with a sharp exhale; luckily his butt was cushioned by grass rather than the rough stone of the nearby pathway. Kenma was still hugging him, landing half on top of him, his face buried in Kuroo’s firm chest.

“I missed you so much,” Kuroo heard the muffled voice say between sniffles, and that was how he discovered that Kenma was crying.

It was then and there that Kuroo vowed: he was never going to leave Kenma. Not ever again. Not if he could help it.

“I missed you too, Kenma. I really, really missed you.”

 

\- ∞ -

 

“So, you turned out to be an omega.”

“And you ended up as an alpha. Of course, as if you could have been any less.”

It was only on Kenma’s third day in Karasuno that he and Kuroo were able to actually sit down and talk.

After the little incident in the garden the day prior, they had no more time to catch up before Kenma needed to attend a meeting with the king, and Kuroo was not able to see him for the rest of the day. Thankfully, both met by chance in one corridor in the palace, Kuroo having just left Prince Daichi’s company, and they agreed that they needed to talk.

They decided it was best to use one of the empty studies, which, along with a solidly hand-crafted desk and chair, had a fireplace and three large armchairs. Of course, the two of them sat in adjacent chairs, turning them a little to face each other a bit more.

It had taken a while, but they began by recounting what happened that night when Kuroo’s father and the other men rescued them. Kenma hadn’t known Kuroo’s father was involved, but was relieved to hear the man had survived the onslaught.

Kenma had explained that he stayed in the orphanage for a while until a nobleman appeared in search of a pup to call his own. He turned out to be the royal advisor for King Nekomata of Nekoma, a beta man wed to another beta male and thus unable to conceive their own children. Kenma spoke of how his adoptive father told him he saw something in him, something in his eyes, and knew that he would grow to be the highly intellectual boy he proved to be. He raised Kenma to be educated, always teaching him new things, both about the world in general and about the history and politics of Nekoma so that one day he might become his father’s successor. It had been less than a year ago that his father grew unwell and unfit to continue his work as the royal advisor, so Kenma had been acting in his place. It was not permanent yet, but if his father’s condition was to grow worse, he would have to continue as the official royal advisor.

In return, Kuroo told Kenma about his life in Karasuno and about the friends he made. He recounted how Daichi was the first friend he made since moving, and how he grew to admire his father’s work so decided to join the royal guard, quickly being promoted to palace guard. He spoke of Daichi, of Bokuto, and all their antics growing up.

It was after they shared their stories that other topics came up, including their secondary genders.

“Hey, it’s not like being an alpha makes me better than everyone else,” he defended, palms raised in surrender of whatever thoughts might have been going through Kenma’s head.

“That’s right. I wasn’t sure what your stance on that would be, though. I would easily beat you in a match of wits.” Kenma spoke with light confidence, not truly challenging the other, but silently daring him to disagree.

Kuroo simply chuckled and conceded, “I don’t doubt you there! They don’t let just anyone act as royal advisor.”

Kenma smiled with a small upward quirk of his lips, before turning away, his cheeks starting to fill with colour.

There was a brief pause, the atmosphere in the room noticeably shifting. Kuroo bit his tongue, stopping himself from trying to fill the silence because he could tell Kenma had something else he wanted to say. He was just working up the courage to do so.

“So, um… do you, ah, have… anyone?”

Kuroo was a little taken aback by the question, most notably because he never expected Kenma to ask something so forward. It made his heart rate pick up, and even he felt the heat rise in his own face.

“No. No I’m not with anyone…are you?”

Kenma shook his head, but Kuroo didn’t miss the way Kenma reacted to his answer. If he didn’t know any better, he’d say Kenma looked almost _pleased_ at his answer.

They dropped that topic after that, and returned to smaller things, like what they liked to do in their spare time and what foods they absolutely could not stomach. Soon enough, it was time for Kuroo to get ready to go on duty, so they had to bid each other farewell, but with the promise of meeting again soon. They still had so much lost time to make up for, so they were far from done with meeting one another.

Besides, there were new feelings, new sensations bubbling under between them, and they had only just scratched the surface.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SORRY THIS IS AN INTERLUDE but I needed some Kuroken backstory because it's been in my mind so long I just had to get it in asap! And hey, at least the chapter is sort of on time this time! Main story will continue next chapter :)
> 
> note: Kenma calls Kuroo 'Kuro' as a nickname canonically so I added it here (so it's not a typo - if anywhere other than in Kenma's dialogue it has only one 'o' then that's a typo)


	15. Heed My Every Order

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title song - I'll Make A Man Out Of You - Mulan (Donny Osmond)
> 
> Gosh, I don't know what to say except I'm really sorry it's taken so long to update. Please accept my apology in the form of this long-ass chapter

“Mnh… wha’s goin’ on?”

Suga woke groggily to a loud voice followed by the fast but clumsy movements of the prince beside him.

Daichi was already on his feet, pulling clothes on haphazardly by the time Suga’s brain actually began to function, and it startled the omega to realise whatever could be causing this disturbance was far from good.

“What has my father said?” Daichi asked in urgency, and it took Suga a little too long in his sleep-deprived state to realise the question was not directed towards him. He must not have heard Suga.

The third party stood in the doorway answered almost immediately, the tension in the air high. Suga, still hazy to the world of consciousness, was vaguely aware it was Kinoshita. “His majesty made it clear that in matters of violent conflict, we are to report to you. You know your subjects better than he. It was apparent, though, that he assumed reinforces would be sent immediately.”

Daichi paused for a second, if only to mutter ‘ _shit’_ under his breath before continuing to fly around the room grabbing unusual attire that Suga realised to be the clothing worn beneath armour.  

He was preparing for a fight.

“Send word for every warrior that is physically able to gear up and gather in the courtyard to await further orders.”

“Yes sir!”

Kinoshita was gone in a flash, leaving a stressed-out Daichi and a very confused Suga.

Hesitantly, Suga rose from the bed and padded over to where Daichi was bent over, digging for something in a hinged chest. Gently, he took hold of Daichi’s hand, halting the frantic searching and startling Daichi at the same time.

“Koushi? Shit, I…”

“Hush, it’s okay,” Suga interrupted, feeling the apology coming. “You didn’t wake me. Now, what’s going on, Daichi?”

Daichi ran his free hand through his hair roughly, trying his best not to show his panic. “Our southernmost village has been attacked, and the attackers are pushing northwards. If we leave soon, we might be able to stop any more damage. We knew there were threats from the south, so we increased patrols and the number of men in the south but… my love, I have to go. I have to stop this.”

Suga inhaled sharply, biting his lip at the magnitude of the situation.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Suga had made his resolve.

“I’m coming with you.”

The determination in his tone left no room for argument, but that didn’t stop Daichi from trying.

“Koushi, I don’t know what level of threat we’re facing. There could be hundreds of them. It’s too-”

“Sawamura Daichi, don’t you _dare_ tell me it’s ‘too dangerous’ when you have every intention of going yourself. You _know_ I can fight. Better than half your army if not more! I’m not a damsel who needs protecting. I want to help!”

Suga knew full well that Daichi did not mean to degrade him by wanting him to stay. He _knew_ it had nothing to do with his status as an omega. It was simply a man wanting to protect the one he loves, and Suga was so grateful for Daichi’s concern. But this was about more than just the two of them. Lives were in danger, some probably already taken, and many more would undoubtedly need medical attention. Suga could not, in good conscious, simply sit and wait in the comfort of the palace walls when he could be out there helping.

Daichi could see that Suga would not be swayed, and they would lose precious time by arguing over the matter, so Daichi had to go with his head, not his heart.

“Okay. But if you come, you’ll be under my orders like the others, you understand?”

Suga completely understood. In public, _especially_ in such a crisis situation, he could not go against the orders of the crown prince. They were not even married yet, so Suga held no shred of authority. He would be acting as any other soldier, and he was content with that.

“Of course. Just don’t give me special treatment.”

With nods of agreement, the two prepared for the possibility of a battle. They dressed in armour, Daichi in his own while Suga was given Daichi’s old armour he wore as a teenager. The fit was better suited for Suga’s body shape, as Daichi had certainly grown in muscle since the age at which he wore that armour. The whole process was meticulously methodical and efficient, and they swiftly moved around each other and helped one another with clips and buckles as though this was not their first time preparing for battle together. Removing the dreadful circumstance from the equation, it was almost romantic how easily they fell into a cooperative rhythm. Now, however, was not the time to dwell on such superficial matters.

As soon as both were ready, fully armoured and weapons secured to their waists, they headed for the courtyard with purposeful strides, Suga hanging a step behind Daichi. It only made sense, as it enabled Daichi’s full authority to be exuded in such a critical moment. Suga would rather stay behind than degrade Daichi’s power by walking any closer.

By the time they arrived, a sizeable gathering had congregated in the courtyard, and more were joining even as the prince stepped to the forefront, Suga finding a place beside Tanaka, who wore the most serious, concentrated expression Suga had witnessed on the alpha.

“Suga-san, what are you doing here?”

The whisper came from none other than Kageyama Tobio, who was flanking Tanaka in the mass of capable warriors. Tanaka seemed surprised at his question, having not noticed Suga sidle in beside him, but was quick to chastise the younger male.

“Oi! You trying to get rude, Kageyama?” Tanaka grumbled, keeping as quiet as possible as the noise had died down, all eyes now on Daichi as he prepared to address the whole assembly of fighters.

Suga, on the other hand, could detect the worry, rather than threat, in Kageyama’s question, noting how he sounded genuinely concerned. Not that Suga needed his concern.

“I refuse to sit by when I am at least as capable as anyone else here of helping,” he replied simply, and before anyone could dispute or comment on his answer, Daichi was clearing his throat to draw all attention to him.

“Everyone, I thank you for gathering in such short notice. I will keep this short and to the point.”

Daichi’s voice rang out, all else so silent Suga wasn’t convinced his heartbeat could not be heard by those around him. He supposed this was the power of the prince; Daichi held a commanding composure and was able to not only gain but also keep the attention of whomever he so desired. It was a sight to behold, to say the least.

“We have reports of an attack from the south. At this time, we know not of numbers, the origin, nor even the purpose of the attack. All we know is that our southernmost village has already suffered, and the threat is pushing on. If we hurry, we may be able to minimise any further suffering of our kingdom’s people. We do not know how many we may face and how powerful they are, but we must remember: we will be stronger. We must. Are you with me?”

An uproar of cheers and determined shouts erupted from the crowd of warriors, reminding the prince of the pledges of allegiance each member of the crowd had made in their lives.

Daichi may have been privately apprehensive, but hearing the support he had and the sheer amount of trust they all had in him invigorated him. He could not afford to be fearful. He had to show his people he was worthy of their trust. He had to _lead._

“Let us hope our numbers and forces are excessive. Kuroo will now assemble a team of our best scouts to go on ahead and get a better idea of what we’re dealing with.”

A nod came from Kuroo, who was flanking Daichi’s right side to show his position as his right hand man, before he stepped away and started calling for specific people.

It was in this brief pause that Suga was better able to get a good look at the mass of people gathered, armour-clad and alert. Unsurprisingly, the bulk of the group were alpha and beta males, the dominant alpha scents most prominent in the air. He did, however, notice a rather sizeable amount of women, carrying equal amounts of muscular power and femininity. Suga figured most of them were alphas as well, though there were a few that seemed to the naked eye to lean more towards the beta characteristics. What surprised him the most, though, were the omega males in the ranks. He should have been expecting them; hell, he _knew_ at least Asahi’s mate was a guard, so he should have anticipated the amount of omega males in the ranks. Still, it filled him with pride knowing he and his kind were slowly gaining more and more equality, seeing as merely half a century ago omegan warriors were unheard of. They were continually proving their worth, and evidently in Karasuno they had proven to be much more than the delicate ‘baby-makers’ they had once-upon-a-time been viewed as.

Suga’s attention was drawn from his own thoughts as Daichi once again called for attention once the scouts had left. Kuroo had remained, but Suga managed to get a glimpse of the team as they left and it seemed that Asahi was leading them. He always did say he preferred archery to hand-to-hand combat.

“We need some of you to stay behind and guard the King and palace. You will not be viewed as a coward in this role, and you are to be on high alert at all times until everyone is back safely with good news.”

Suga watched as Daichi selected those who would stay at the palace, wondering how Daichi was able to remember so many names. He supposed that was merely yet another expectation of the crown prince, but it didn’t stop Suga from being amazed by it.

“Everyone else, ready your steeds and be at the gate in no less than five minutes!”

At that, everyone sprung into action, the once organised gathering now becoming a chaotic frenzy of moving figures. The courtyard somewhat resembled a wasp’s nest that had been disturbed, everyone hurrying to their stations or to the stables so as not to disobey the prince and be late.

Now that the attention had shifted away from Daichi, Suga felt less hesitant to approach him, seeing as he didn’t exactly own a steed here.

“Dai, I-” he began, but was cut off, as though Daichi had read his thoughts and was already three steps ahead of him.

“You’ll ride with me. There’s not enough time to find you a steed, let alone be sure it will trust you to ride it, so you’ll ride with me. Anyone who speaks against it will answer to me.” His tone was firm, unyielding. Suga had never witnessed this calloused and calculated version of Daichi before. This, Suga decided, must be Daichi’s battle-mode. What he failed to realise, however, was that it was also covertly Daichi’s way of ensuring he stayed with Suga as much as possible.

As soon as Suga nodded in confirmation, Daichi took his gloved hand in his own and whisked him away to the stables, where a stable-boy was already waiting with the reins of Daichi’s steed in his hands. The saddle had already been strapped on as well, so all Daichi had to do was mount it. Suga gulped, unsure of how to proceed. He had never seen such a large, bulky steed before. Glossy midnight coat and well-groomed, impossibly darker mane, the horse was beautiful yet aptly intimidating. It was without a doubt in his mind that this steed was built for war. Suga could only hope it would never have to be used in one.

In one fell swoop that spoke of years of practice, Daichi hoisted himself up onto the steed’s saddle, the raucous clank of his armour not even phasing the horse minutely. Before he situated himself comfortably on the leather seat, he reached down, extending an arm towards Suga.

“Come on, I’ll help you up,” he offered, a weary smile upon his lips in spite of the task at hand.

Although Suga was perfectly capable of mounting the steed unaided, he let Daichi grab hold of his forearm, doing the same to the alpha, and allowed himself to be pulled up. Now was not the time to defy the prince, even jest, and Suga appreciated the help nonetheless.

He positioned himself behind Daichi, as the crown prince and current commander of this small army must of course take the lead, and wrapped his arms around Daichi’s waist as best he could with the many leathered and metalled layers between them.

“Don’t let go.” The murmur was almost inaudible, especially with the alpha facing away from him, but Suga heard it and it made the thrum of his heart pick up just a little.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

 

\- ∞ -

 

The journey was tense, to say the least.

The constant hammering of hooves against the ground in a dull symphony of thuds was all Daichi had in the way of a distraction from his racing thoughts.

Who were these attackers? Why did they come? Why now? Was there any immediate warning?

Question after question drifted in and out of centre stage in Daichi’s mind, and it was honestly exhausting.

The only things keeping him sane at the moment were the thoughts of how his people needed him, and the warmth provided by his love clinging securely to his waist and back. In honesty, Daichi didn’t know how he coped before Suga entered his life; the sheer presence of the man alone was enough to keep him level-headed and stop him from falling down the deepest pits of his own despair. He had considered that letting Suga come may serve as a distraction to himself, but thus far he had been anything but. Besides, he knew he would not have heard the end of it if he had ordered him to stay behind. That would insinuate that Daichi didn’t think Suga was capable for the task at hand, which was far from the truth. In reality, Suga had proven his abilities from the first day he’d joined Daichi and his inner circle in training, and yet had continued to train still, honing the skills he had previously neglected. No, Suga’s confidence was not at all unwarranted, and with the lack of clear knowledge on the threat, they needed as much man-power as they could get.

It was as they were nearing the southern villages that Daichi slowed, all others following behind doing the same. He indicated for silence, and leaned forward, his keen sense of hearing picking up on what sounded like the hooves of a lone horse approaching the location Daichi and his small army were stopped. On high alert, Daichi readied himself for anything, the sea of rustling sounds indicating his soldiers were doing the same.

They waited as the sound got louder, the tension so thick in the air it was almost visible, until the steed was in sight.

A unanimous sigh of relief was shared throughout when it was obvious the horse and rider were of Karasuno. It was one of the scouts that had been sent ahead, coming to report their findings.

The steed slowed to a stop before the prince, and the rider bowed as well as he could whilst on horseback. Daichi was just glad to see a friendly face.

“Prince Daichi, sir! Azumane Yuu reporting on behalf of the scouting unit sent ahead,” the omega soldier announced, loud enough to be heard but not so loud as to alert any nearby enemies. Of course Asahi would trust his mate the most to find the rest of the cavalry and relay their message. Besides, Yuu’s steed was smaller and faster than most, so he was the obvious choice to get their message over quickly. The formalities were obviously kept in the presence of the others, but Daichi obviously knew who it was.

“Proceed,” was all Daichi said in response, eager to hear the verdict.

Yuu nodded before continuing. “The attackers have completely left the village that fell victim to them and they have made camp in a small cave a mere mile or so from the next village. From what we can tell in the darkness, it appears as though they are bearing no signs of a house or kingdom, but of course they could be in disguise so it is still unclear what their motive is.”

“What are you thinking?” Suga murmured quietly to Daichi so no-one else could hear.

What was he thinking?

Well, for one, if the enemy was camped out and vulnerable then it could be the perfect time to infiltrate and attack. On the other hand, they could not be certain that the group found camping were the enemy. Besides, it went against Daichi’s internal moral compass to attack an enemy that was unable to defend themselves. No, Daichi wanted a fair fight.

Having made his resolve, Daichi patted Suga’s knee to show he had heard him, but didn’t answer, instead turning their steed so he was facing his soldiers.

“We head to the nearest village and guard the perimeter. Only when they make a move do we retaliate. We cannot be sure that they are indeed the culprits, so let us avoid any unnecessary casualties. Are you with me?”

In unison, the soldiers before Daichi chorused, “Yes sir!”.

And so they set off to put their plan in motion.

Once they reached the village, dawn was beginning to break, the first signs of light and life emerging from the darkness. It would have been a serene moment at any other time, but the threat that still lingered overhead did not permit such a view.

Daichi sent Yuu ahead to alert the village’s spokesperson of the situation and ensure all civilians stayed indoors, whilst everyone else situated themselves in their assigned positions, some closer to the village, some further out around the perimeter, and some in the village itself, patrolling in case any enemies slip through the blockade of soldiers guarding elsewhere.

Asahi and his small scouting unit, along with Yuu who was to re-join after he’d completed his task, remained diligently watching the cave from afar, ready to send word if anything changes.

Daichi, along with Suga, Kuroo, Bokuto, and a few others headed further out from the village, closer to the most likely path the attackers would take, though they did spread themselves out a bit to cover more ground.

From then, it was a waiting game.

“It’s a good plan, Daichi,” Suga reassured the alpha from his place behind him, still clinging to him amorously. The omega could practically feel the trepidation exuding from the prince, and knew he had to speak up before Daichi could doubt himself too much.

Daichi sighed, still keeping watch for any movement in the distance. “I hope so. I’m putting a lot of lives at risk.”

“But you said it yourself, if they were harmless civilians you would have been doing more harm than good by taking them down at night. You did the right thing, and if they are coming, we’ll stop them before anyone gets hurt.”

Daichi knew Suga was right, but until this whole ordeal was over he would remain tense and unsure.

It was a few hours later that they heard the clatter of metal against metal in the distance, somewhere to the right of where Suga and Daichi were stationed. Somewhere along the border.

“Everyone! Stand your ground and stay in position!” Daichi called for those within earshot, including his right-hand man. There was still the chance the enemy could try to gain entry to the village on all sides. Daichi wouldn’t be able to stay away from the fight, though. “Suga and I will investigate. Do not leave your station unless it is an absolute emergency or I order otherwise!”

And with that, Daichi gave his steed a kick to get him galloping towards the direction of the ruckus.

 

\- ∞ -

 

The scene before them was carnage.

Men and women alike, fighting sword against sword on horseback and foot alike. The grass was stained with blood; from which side, it was unclear.

“SOME OF THEM HAVE GOT THROUGH!” was shouted over the chaos, and that was all Suga needed to hear to jump down off the horse and run towards he village.

“Koushi!” Daichi called after him, but that didn’t deter the omega.

“Don’t worry about me! Help them!” he called back determinedly as he raced away, unsheathing his own sword and weaving away from the fight to protect the villagers.

When grass gave way to cobblestoned paths, he ran faster, looking around carefully as he did to try and find the attackers who broke through. His worst fear at that moment came to light when he heard a child’s scream, and he bolted in the direction it came from. No way was he letting any innocent civilian get hurt. Not on his watch.

“STAY INSIDE!” he ordered the families he saw poking their heads out through open windows and doors left ajar as he passed them.

Just when he was losing hope of finding the child in need, he heard the scream again, this time much louder. He was close.

“HELP ME! NO! STAY AWAY FROM ME!” the child cried, and Suga turned the corner to find one of the attackers, a man with scruffy clothes but suspiciously well-kept hair dragging a young girl out of a small cottage. Well, trying to; the girl, no older than eleven or twelve, was certainly not giving up without a fight.

“Get away from her!” Suga barked at the attacker, holding his sword up in an offensive stance.

Suga’s presence distracted the man long enough for the girl to escape his grasp and run back into the house, slamming the door shut behind her. _Good,_ Suga thought. It was best she was safe.

“Oi!” the man growled, whipping round to face Suga, glaring angrily. Something in his expression changed, though, and he didn’t hesitate in letting Suga know why. “Well well well, what’s this, eh? An omega? What’s an omega gonna do, eh? Cry and call for an alpha to save you?”

That really made Suga’s blood boil, especially when the man withdrew a sword but remained carefree, as though he did not see Suga as a threat.

“Well I’ve got some news for you,” the man continued, taking casual steps towards Suga, who remained steadfast and still in an offensive stance. “No-one’s coming to save you.”

With a swift movement, Suga brandished his blade, now pointing at the man’s neck.

“Take one more step, and it’ll be the last thing you do.” Suga’s words were not said loudly, but the venom that laced them made his message clear enough. Unfortunately for him, the man didn’t seem to take too kindly to it.

He growled, aggressive alpha pheromones rolling off him in waves. If they had been indoors, Suga may have been overwhelmed by them, but luckily there was enough of a breeze to keep them at bay and allow Suga to keep his wits about him.

“Now you listen here,” the man began to growl, surging forwards and waving his own blade as if to attack. He stopped short, though, when Suga easily parried his attack.

Suga’s quick reflexes seemed to only anger the man further, and all too soon the two were full-on sparring, metal clashing against metal in hard and fast attacks. Something Suga notices early on was that while his opponent had brute strength, his movements were sluggish and sloppy. That meant his movements were easy to predict, and so easy to deflect. What was not so easy, however, was landing a hard enough hit to throw him off. The guy was relentless, barrelling onwards and shouting profanities and death threats.

They were sparring for a while, both getting tired, but Suga would be damned if he showed it. In a stroke pf luck, the other man’s fatigue meant he took a misstep and stumbled on a cobblestone. Suga jumped on that opportunity and managed to sweep the man’s legs out from beneath him. That caused the man to crash to the ground, hitting his head in the process and successfully knocking himself out.

Suga stood back and sighed in relief, finally taking a moment to breathe. In a way, he was glad the guy knocked himself out. Suga had never killed anyone. He didn’t know what he was going to do if they guy gave him no choice, but he was lucky that it didn’t have to come to that.

He had been standing guard over the unconscious brute for a while, making sure he stayed down before he could be properly restrained, when a familiar voice called out.

“Suga-san! Are you okay?”

It was Asahi, approaching Suga on horseback. He looked windswept and his quiver was almost empty of arrows, but he looked unharmed, to Suga’s relief.

“I’m fine,” Suga assured the alpha, glad to no longer be alone. “I managed to knock this one unconscious. Do you have any restraints?”

Asahi dismounted and joined Suga by the side of the unconscious attacker, not before reaching into his saddlebag and retrieving a spool of rope.

“Nice job,” Asahi complimented. “This should do the trick.”

Together, they bound the man, ensuring he had no hopes of escape. As it turns out, Asahi was rather skilled at tying knots, so they could rest assured that the bindings would not come undone.

“Any news on the rest of the fight?” Suga asked when their task was done, anxious to know if everyone was okay.

Asashi nodded once as he wiped away some swear from his brow. “It’s over. On our side, there were some injuries but no-one was gravely hurt. Aside from this guy,” he continued, giving the unconscious body a kick for good measure, “two others got into the village but were tracked down and stopped from causing harm to any civilians. For now, we’ve won.”

Suga was relieved to hear it. After such a long night, they’d finally be able to go home knowing that, for now, the citizens of Karasuno were safe.

“Come. Let’s rejoin the group. I’ll deal with him,” Asahi then suggested, indicating to the bound body.

That was when Suga remembered the young girl.

“You go ahead. There’s someone I need to check up on first.”

Asahi looked apprehensive about leaving Suga alone, but the omega urged Asahi to go on without him, and who was Asahi to deny his future queen?

Retracing his steps, Suga found his way back to the small cottage. He needed to make sure the girl was okay, and commemorate her for her bravery. After all, she was the reason he was able to track down the intruder in the first place.

Suga knocked softly on the front door, and waited a few moments. He realised, though, that the inhabitants would probably be wary to open the door to anyone, so he called out.

“Hello? That guy who was here, he’s gone now!” he called out, standing a few steps away from to door so he was visible through the small window to the side. “We caught him, and he’s going to jail! I just want to know if you’re okay.”

A few moments went by, and Suga considered just leaving, but then the front door clicked open, curious grey eyes peeping out through the crack.

Smiling sweetly, Suga offered a wave and bowed to the girl, who started opening the door a little wider.

“Y-you saved me,” she murmured shyly, but no longer hostile.

Suga chuckled softly and shook his head. “Ah, well now, actually you saved yourself. All I did was cause a distraction. You’re very brave, and I want to thank you for calling for help. Without you, I wouldn’t have been able to find that bad man and stop him.” He bowed again, but he did not miss the blush that coloured the girl’s cheeks.

“Thank you, mister,” she said with a little more confidence, mimicking Suga’s bow.

Suga grinned, and replied, “You’re very welcome. What’s your name, my dear?”

The girl’s lips quirked up into a little bashful smile. “Otani Sakura,” she responded, warming up to Suga more by the second.

“I’m Sugawara Koushi,” Suga returned, before saying, “and I’ll be sure to mention you to the prince for your bravery.”

At that, Sakura’s eyes lit up. “You know the prince?!”

Her excitement made Suga giggle. “Yes, very well. You see, he and I are going to be married!”

Sakura was gobsmacked. Her jaw dropped in an expression of surprise, and then she whispered, “You’re gonna be a prince too?”

Suga chuckled again. “I suppose you’re right. I’ve not thought of it like that.”

Sakura gasped. “That’s so cool! Thank you for meeting me!”

Suga could not contain his beaming smile. “It was lovely meting you too, Sakura. Goodbye!”

“Bye Mr. Prince!”

And with that, Sakura closed the door and Suga headed off to find the others. He was glad he was able to distract the girl from thinking too much about what happened, and even more so glad she was safe and unharmed.

It turned out that Suga did not need to search for long, as Daichi found him first, still comfortably sat on the back of his steed.

“Koushi! There you are! I’m so glad you’re okay!” Daichi exclaimed, immediately drawing to a halt and dismounting. In one swift movement, he scooped Suga into his arms and kissed him, finally letting his concern melt away now the threat was gone.

“I’m glad you’re okay too,” Suga murmured back against Daichi’s lips when the kiss broke.

“I hear you singlehandedly took down a beast of a guy,” Daichi queried with an amused lilt to his tine. Not because he didn’t believe Asahi, but because he was curious to know the story.

“Yep! I’ll tell you all about it on the way home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uni is hard guys. I'm in second year so shit actually counts now, so I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long. I definitely definitely will see this story through to completion even if it's the last thing I do, but all I ask is for your patience. I won't be able to grind out chapters I'm actually proud of if I try and rush this, and (in case you haven't noticed) I'm trying to keep chapters roughly even lengths so if I updated more frequently they'd be a lot shorter and I feel like that would disturb the pacing of the story. Besides uni work, I've also had writer's block for this scene and it's turned out different to how I planned it, but I hope you still enjoy it! I've worked hard on it and I plan to continue to do so for future chapters.   
> Side note: am I the only one who mashes together the names of people I know for OCs? XD 
> 
> If you're still reading, drop us a comment and let me know you're still here so I'm motivated to keep updating xx
> 
> (DISCLAIMER: un-beta'd, not edited, excuse typos/errors)

**Author's Note:**

> UPDATES: FRIDAYS


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